Koschei's Trinity
by AndroidSister
Summary: S5 AU: Koschei has multiple personalities. The Master is one of them. Can Amy and the Doctor resolve the tangled web of mysteries, conflicts and deception brought forward by the return of the Doctor's oldest friend? Can they save Koschei? Please R&R
1. The Hand We Are Dealt

**Koschei's Trinity**

Story Rating: M (For strong language, violence and possible Slash)

Characters: The 11th Doctor, The Master and Amelia Pond

Authors Note: In case you haven't realized yet. This story is going to be a season 5 AU so it probably isn't going to totally fit with canon...um yeah. As far as timing goes this going to begin in between 'Victory of the Daleks' and 'The Time of Angels'.This is my first published fanfic and I'm a bit nervous about it but this idea has been bouncing around in my head for a long while (though it originally starred the 10th Doctor). I'm still getting used to Eleven and I should probably mention that I've only just recently started watching the fifth season. I thought I might as well type it up since it wouldn't leave me alone. _~This~_ indicates a character's thoughts just for future reference... Okay, I hope you like it.

Con/crit welcome but it's my first time so please be gentle.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my bazar story ideas and this dark cave that I lurk in. Oh yeah, and this candy that I'm eating which is indeed delicious.

**Part One: The Threefold Man  
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_"God does not play dice with the universe: He plays an ineffable game of His own devising, which might be compared, from the perspective of any of the other players [i.e. everybody], to being involved in an obscure and complex variant of poker in a pitch-dark room, with blank cards, for infinite stakes, with a Dealer who won't tell you the rules, and who smiles all the time."_

_- Terry Pratchett (Good Omens)_

He ran down the dark, rainy streets. Icy sheets of water poured down unforgivingly on his small, wiry form, drenching his ragged, brown denim jacket and torn black jeans and pasting his messy white hair to his pale forehead. His skin was burning from the unforgiving cold. He didn't stop running though, didn't even bother to consider slowing down in the slightest. They were far too close behind him. He could sense their hunger. He felt it rolling off of his pursuers in waves. He had to figure this out. He had to escape. There _had_ to be a way... _~Come on! Think! It wont be long before they catch up!~_ Panic had begun to spread through the pale running man. He was quick and he was clever, but the creatures chasing him were twice his size and they were born predators, with bodies perfected for the hunt. He turned and darted down the alley on his right. His hearts hammering in his chest. He looked for something, for anything, an escape, a weapon, something that might give him a chance- He skidded to a halt, looking up as he sensed presences above him slinking eagerly towards him on the side of the building to his left. They were moving to cut him off. There was a soft thump as one of the dark sillouettes dropped off the building to land a few meters ahead of him.

"No..." He muttered, staring as another landed alongside it " Nonono..."

He felt his eyelids getting heavy until they slid shut and his body slumped forward slightly. The creatures hissed and crept towards him. They had him surrounded now, with three behind him and two in front. There were sirens in the distance getting louder and rapidly nearer. The closest monster pounced. There was a terrible feral cry, as something rather nasty happened to someone far more accustomed to being dreaded and feared and some others came into a rude awakening when a much stronger presence revealed itself in that dark alley.

* * *

><p>Moments later the U.N.I.T. SUVs finally arrived and soldiers swarmed the place, searching for the alien threats. Dr. Martha Jones stepped out of her vehicle and walked at a much less urgent pace, keeping out of the way of the soldiers. The radio on her hip crackled to life.<p>

"Dr. Jones , this is Major Thompson. Do you copy?" Said the voice riding the radio waves.

"Major Thompson, I read you." She replied into the mouthpiece

"I'm in the alley. I've located the targets. Require medical. Over."

"Copy that." Martha grabbed the case out of her backseat and headed swiftly toward the alley. The soldiers moved silently out of her way. She almost flinched at the sight that met her. Major Thompson and two other soldiers waited in an alley that reminded her of something out of a horror film. The walls were splattered with blood both red and blue-black and there were three bodies lying still on the ground. Two of them were insect-like and obviously alien, all covered in far too much blood and gore. The more human-looking one might have reminded her of a ghost if he hadn't been so muddy and so obviously real.

He was lying sprawled face-down in a puddle. His white hair stuck out in wet clumps, matted in places with blood of both colors. His skin was impossibly pale.._~inhumanly pale~_ she amended. Almost the exact same color as the pearls that her grandmother used to wear. The whole alley smelled of blood and singed flesh. Thompson had pulled one of the larger aliens off of the pearl-skinned one so she knelt by him first, opening her case and snapping on her latex gloves.

"That one's still alive. The poor sod. No need to bother with the other two. I would have turned him over but I was afraid to move him." The Major explained

"Thank you." She replied, gently moving her hands down the aliens sides, searching him for injuries. There was very gruesome wound on the poor thing's back where one of the other creatures had clawed him, but as nasty as it looked, it was shallow and superficial. She hoped that the claws weren't poisonous. "You were right to wait for me. There's no telling what they could've done to him...Hmmm broken ribs, fractured collarbone... Dammit! Alright Major Thompson, I'm going to need you to help me turn him over. We've got to be careful not to jar him too much."

The soldier carefully helped her flip the smaller man over. He took the gauze she passed him and pressed it on the stab-wound that she'd found on the pale alien's shoulder. She began to turn back to her case to grab something else when her gaze fell on his face and she froze. She knew that face. It was a face she could never forget. The coloring was different than when she'd seen him last. His features somehow seemed gentler now, maybe even a tad feminine, but it was still unmistakably him.

"Oh my god!" She muttered shakily, causing Major Thompson's head to snap up to look at her.

"You know him, Doctor?"

"He's... the Master."


	2. The three of him

_~A warm bed, clean, sterile-smelling air, a steady beep-beep-beeping coming from the right...a heart monitor. Oh, alright, a hospital bed then... Oh well...woken up in far worse places. Now, how did I get here? I'm injured. There's a bandage on my right shoulder, pain in my back, and on my left side, in my ribs and collarbone... There must have been a fight...but what happened? Who with?~_

Martha Jones walked into medical to check on her latest patient just as he opened his eyes. It was impossible to miss really. His pale white complexion stood out in stark contrast to the grey of his bedding and patterned hospital gown, but his eyes were like two bright points of flame in a colorless tundra. Martha watched silently as the alien struggled a bit to adjust to the lighting in the room, steadying herself for the task ahead of her. He glanced over at the medical equipment, seeming unusually calm, curiosity showing on his pale features. He then proceeded to do what appeared to be a systematic damage assessment on himself. He was almost unnaturally composed, before he finally noticed the handcuffs. Abruptly, he began tugging at them, and making his discomfort with this new discovery glaringly obvious to all present. The two guards at the doorway turned to look, and one began to step forward to intervene, but she stopped him, figuring that it would probably be best to keep the men with the semi-automatic rifles out of this if at all possible.

"That won't do you any good." She informed the Timelord "Those are made out of re-enforced steel. A Talarkian couldn't even break through them."

He ignored her.

"You're only going hurt yourself!"

When he finally stopped and looked up at her, she couldn't help but gasp. It was only then that she fully registered the change in his eyes. They were no longer the fevered brown eyes of Saxon's hypnotic gaze. Now they were now a bright, piercing, amber color like two pools of molten gold. She was also surprised to see no sign recognition in them, and none of the cold anger and hatred that had always haunted his eyes. He studied her for a long moment, sizing her up before he finally spoke.

"You're a doctor I assume." He stated plainly.

"Yes-" Martha replied, taken aback by his strange behavior "You don't recognize me?"

He simply raised his eyebrows in response.

"I'm Martha Jones." She prompted incredulously. He still showed no signs of recognition. "You really don't recognize me!? If this is supposed to be some sort of trick, it's not a very good one. How can you not remember me?"

"Because we've never met..?"

"We've- Listen Master, if you-" Martha stopped short, seeing the Master's expression darken at the sound of his own name. His eyes instantly flicked away from her to glare at the drab-green wall. She got the distinct impression that if he hadn't been cuffed to the bed he would have crossed his arms and turned his back on her.

"I am not the Master." He said stiffly.

"You look exactly like him." She replied accusingly.

"I'm not him. He's not here, and I would prefer to keep it that way!"

Martha studied him closely, still suspicious. After all, the Master was extremely tricky, but he seemed to be sincere, and she'd been thinking that something seemed off about him for a while now. To put it bluntly, this man just didn't _feel_ anything like the Master.

"What do you mean by that?" She asked, cautiously moving to stand at the foot of his bed.

"I thought that I put it quite plainly. I'm not the Master. It's a good thing I'm not. He's a monster, a destroyer! He does evil things and puts us through hell every time he manifests."

"What do you mean 'manifests?'" Martha paused for a moment before adding, "and who do you mean by 'us'?"

He was studying her closely again.

"Where are we?" He inquired suspiciously.

"We're at a U.N.I.T. facility in London."

He eyed her distrustfully. Martha persisted anyway.

"Answer me: 'manifests?' 'Us?'"

There was a long silence.

"What are you going to do to us?"

"You and who else?"

"Koschei," He replied, staring into her eyes, then added belatedly "and the Master."

Martha faltered under his intense golden gaze, wondering if she had correctly taken in this new piece of information. This was something she hadn't been ready for.

"I've called the Doctor. He's coming here to help." She said tonelessly after a tense silence. His reaction was almost immediate. He lay back against the pillows and relaxed, not completely, but he was no longer reminiscent of a trapped wild animal at war with its own limb. A definite improvement.

"Good...that's good."

* * *

><p>Black shapes clustered together in their new domain. Shrouded in the darkness of their dank, dripping surroundings, steam drifted off the concrete floor and walls around them. The air was humid and hot. They communicated quietly in strange alien hisses and clicks. They were not pleased with this new development. Three of their hive were now gone. They had been after a most promising prey. They had succeeded in the hunt and trapped their quarry. The others had smelled their victory, but then, suddenly there had been pain, and an impossible burning alien rage had been felt by all of them. Now, somehow their brothers were simply gone. They had left no imprint of their death, no indication of what had destroyed them. The nine had simply become the six, and to add insult to injury, their delectable prey had somehow survived. He had been saved by the people of this planet and taken to a hidden place, where he was kept just out of reach. Unattainable now that they'd had a taste and craved that unique addictive flavor. They needed to discover what had taken the lives of their brothers. They needed to find their prey, but they could not reveal themselves. Not yet. They needed to be stealthy. They could not be stopped. Survival was imperative. They must follow the directive.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Six weeks later...<strong>

The familiar wheezing of the TARDIS materializing filled the hallway on the second floor of London's UNIT facility which was quickly being swarmed by security personnel. The Doctor stepped out of the TARDIS in mid-sentence, presumably explaining the gravity of their situation to Amy.

"...and that is why it's so important. I don't want you taking any...unnecessary...risks." The Doctor finished haltingly, seeing the rifles pointed at them. Amy raised her hands. The Doctor shot the soldiers a look of disapproval. Luckily, Martha came hurrying down the hall behind the soldiers only a moment later.

"It's alright everybody: stand down. I called him here." Martha was a bit out of breath. The men lowered their guns immediately.

"Martha Jones!" The Doctor said, spreading his arms wide for a hug which she easily accepted. "It's good to see you again!"

"You too. You're six weeks late."

"Hmmm. I -what?!" The Doctor exclaimed, letting go of Martha. Amy rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry about him." Martha assured her guests, "The Master hasn't done any harm. None of him have. Believe it or not, we're a bit more troubled by his attackers." The Doctor stared at Martha incredulously.

"What do you mean 'none of him?'" Amy asked.

"Well that's the really weird bit. Perhaps I'd better show you." Martha replied, "Follow me."

Amy elbowed the Doctor again.

"You haven't introduced us." She scolded as they followed Martha through the hall.

"Oh, right! Sorry. Amy Pond this is Dr. Martha Jones. Martha Jones-Amy Pond."

Martha smiled and nodded at Amy as she led them into a smallish conference room with a big plasma screen on the wall, beyond a shiny, black round table in the center. They all took seats at the table and a moment later, a young woman in a military uniform came in with a stack of folders which she handed to Martha.

"Thank you, Kira." Martha smiled politely. The woman saluted and left.

"Six weeks ago, there was an alien incursion reported a few miles east of here. An alien vessel crashed in the middle of a local park. Luckily, it happened just after midnight, so the park was empty at the time. Shortly after that, we got a call about giant insects attacking someone a few streets down from the crash site. When we got there, there wasn't much left." She explained, opening the first file and sliding it toward the Doctor and Amy.

"Oh my God." Amy said sadly, seeing the picture of the poor dead girl. At first glance, it seemed that she was the victim of a slashing. There were deep wounds, like claw marks down her side, and one arm had been thrown up to shield her face. That's where things got more unearthly, because her hand wasn't there any more, but her wrist wasn't bloody. It hadn't been cut. Her hand had simply been blown away in the breeze, as had part of her face. The entire corpse, as real and perfectly preserved as it looked, was now a fine powder held together in the shape of the victim.

"They only seem to hunt at night. It was the next night that we found _him_. These insects had chased him down and trapped him in an alley, but something stopped them. They had him dead to rights, but somehow, when we got there he was lying face down in the alley with two dead insects right on top of him. He was half dead already when we got to him, and when he woke up..." Martha paused for a moment, unsure how to explain the next bit. "He wasn't the Master."

"Who was he?" The Doctor asked with interest, not wanting to get ahead of himself.

"I said: _he wasn't the Master_." Martha studied his expectant expression incredulously, shrugged, and continued, "He appears to have three different personalities in his head. We thought that it was a trick at first, but we put him through test after test, and his story even showed true on his brain scan: three distinct patterns. The one I met after the attack is called Jyun. The Master only surfaced very briefly when it seemed apparent to Jyun that we were lying about your coming, and the third one is-"

"Koschei." The Doctor finished for her. Martha nodded.

"Doctor?" Amy questioned.

"That's the original. The boy I grew up with. His name is Koschei."

"You knew about this?" Martha asked, shocked, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I didn't think it would matter. It all happened a very long time ago and...I have to know..." The Doctor trailed off deep in thought "You said you had something to show me. You kept recordings of your sessions with Koschei and his alters; am I right?"

Martha nodded, taking the discs out from under the pile of folders.

"All of our experiments and interviews have been filmed for further study. I had Kira bring up a few of the more interesting ones, along with the rest of the research we've done, when she brought up the information on the insect case." She told him.

"Good." He replied "I'd like to view it now if you don't mind."

Martha nodded and put one of the discs into the player, sliding the research documents over towards the Doctor and Amy along with the rest of the recordings. Amy opened the topmost folder and began studying it, looking back up when the recording began to play.

* * *

><p>.<p>

**A/N:** Thank you to all of you taking the time to read my story and a special thank you to BiggerOnTheInside95 for your awesomeness! I have to admit I was ridiculously nervous about this story and your comment helped me out of my funk and got me back to writing.

Please people I need your feedback! I'm new to this and any thoughts you might have will be extremely welcome. I also just had a recent freak out when my mom learned of this fic and read it. a nerve wracking experience. She did end up helping me with grammar though so it wasn't soo bad in the end.


	3. A Fractured Mind

_O__n the screen they were shown a well-lit, nearly empty, grey room. The walls and floor looked like they were made of concrete. In the center of the room was a sturdy metal table with a high tech, possibly alien-looking machine sitting on the left and a chair on either side. A small albino man, looking to Amy to be anywhere from his twenties to his mid-thirties, wearing a navy blue jumpsuit, was led into the room by two UNIT soldiers to sit in the chair facing the camera. They then chained him securely to the table. He showed no sign of being surprised or concerned by this treatment. At most he looked mildly annoyed with the position it in which it put his arm, held in a sling. The Doctor noticed that although he did still resemble his Harold Saxon incarnation, his features had changed, becoming more androgynous, and his coloring had lightened dramatically. Someone who didn't know him probably wouldn't make the connection between the two, not without purposely looking for it._

_Martha Jones walked into frame and took the seat opposite him, applying electrodes to his temples and switching the machine on. A box appeared in the corner of the screen, showing a real-time scan of his brain activity._

_Martha opened the file in front of her. She seemed a bit tense and uncomfortable with the idea of sitting this close to him but was handling it admirably._

_"Dr. Jones, do you mind my asking what all this is for?" The subject of her scrutiny asked calmly, indicating the machine with his good arm. He seemed to be measuring his movements carefully so as not to spook her any further, keeping his hands resting on the table in front of him in plain view._

_"We're monitoring your neural patterns. Measuring your responses."_

_He nodded, apparently satisfied by the answer. _

_"You're checking my story." He decided, "Or I suppose you could just be studying me."_

_"Both, actually." Martha replied, "If you're telling the truth you'll be the first non-human we've encountered to exhibit this phenomenon, and of course the more that I know, the easier it'll be for me to treat you. Tell me: who is it I'm speaking to at the moment?"_

_"I appreciate your honesty." He replied politely, his face still remaining calm and impassive, "My name is Jyun."_

_"Are you the one I spoke with before?"_

_"Since I first woke up in this facility. I haven't transitioned again yet."_

_"Do you remember why you're here?"_

_Jyun shook his head._

_"I woke up in your medical wing and you were already treating me for multiple injuries. If you want me to tell you how I got them or what happened to me the night before, I can't remember. I wasn't around for it."_

_"Can I speak with the one who was, then? Perhaps the other name you mentioned..." She searched the file in front of her "Could I speak to Koschei?"_

_"Sorry. It doesn't work that way. If he doesn't want to come out I can't make him." Jyun explained "Perhaps you could tell me. You must know something."_

_"I know how we found you, but we're still trying to piece together what happened that night."_

_ Jyun raised his eyebrows at her, prompting her to continue._

_"We found you lying unconscious in the alley along with the dead insectoid aliens. 'Care to explain?"_

_"Which part of it did you find particularly perplexing?" _

_Martha paused to stare at him, then took a deep enough breath to be visible on screen, before continuing.__"...We can't figure out what actually killed them."_

_"I assume there were no mortal wounds on the bodies, then." Jyun said, considering the new puzzle presented to him. Martha shook her head. "Have you spoken to the Doctor about this?"_

_"He hasn't shown up yet." Martha replied "Are you sure there isn't a way that I can talk to Koschei about this?"_

_"He's apparently feeling shy at the moment." Jyun answered irritably, eyeing the armed guard by the door. "Guess you'll have to deal with me."_

_"The Sergeant's only here for security. We're still not sure we can trust you."_

_"Yes, I realized that upon noticing your propensity for chaining me up." He sighed and closed his eyes, calming himself "I don't blame you. You should keep me chained in case the Master comes again. I don't think that he will but... He hasn't been manifesting much since he lost the signal. I hope it stays that way."_

_"The signal?"_

_"He called it 'the drums'. There was a big struggle for power and he lost. The drums are gone now, and it looks like some of his power went with them. I think the Doctor changed too. The Master seemed to think so. He must've regenerated."_

Martha stopped the tape there, turning back to the Doctor and Amy. The Doctor was studying the information from the testing closely, and now glanced up briefly at Martha to show that he was listening.

"We went over his brain scans to double check, and as you can see, he doesn't appear to have been lying. It took another week before he actually transitioned." She explained. "Koschei usually only manifests briefly, and only around me when there's no more than one other person nearby. I haven't been able to get anything out of him about the incident though."

"He's resisting?" Amy asked, looking up from the file that she'd been studying.

"Not really _resisting_. It's more like he's scared. As I said, he seems to at least trust me and he's been very cooperative about everything else. He's certainly the most helpful when we're doing testing, but whenever I try to mention what happened to him in the alley, he just shuts down."

"What's he up to right now? Just waiting in his cell?" The Doctor asked, looking through the pile of discs in front of him.

Martha checked her watch before responding. "One o'clock... Major Thompson will be trying to get him to eat something right about now. It's his designated lunch time and Jyun's been uncooperative since his panic just over a week ago when the Master manifested."

"Alright then. I'll need to view the tapes on that, as well as Koschei's first emergence." Martha pulled those discs from the pile and handed them to Amy.

"Ah, thank you." the Doctor said as if she had handed them to him. "And I'll want to speak with him myself after he's done eating."

"I'll prep the room for you and come get you when it's ready." Martha replied. Amy picked up the remote and slid into Martha's seat, turning to look questioningly at the Doctor as the sound of Martha's footsteps faded into the distance.

"So..." Amy prompted "What do think then?"

"I don't know yet."

"He seems to be telling the truth, and they're keeping him all locked up. No wonder the poor thing's frightened!"

"Yes, well I told you. He's very dangerous. We need to be careful not to let our guard down. The Master's already hypnotized the entire planet and taken over Earth- twice. People thought he was telling the truth then too."

"I know that the Master's dangerous. I'm being careful, but what about Koschei and the other one? Shouldn't we help them?"

"If it's really them, yes. He's been gone a long time though." The Doctor got a faraway look in his eye "You'd like him. Koschei- he was... _If_ he's really back, we'll help him. _If_ it's really him."

"You miss him, don't you?" Amy observed

"Come on." the Doctor said ignoring her question "Let's see that transition."

_Jyun was brought over to sit in the same chair again at the metal table. His arm was out of its sling and he was still visibly struggling to stay upright, leaning on the table when he'd reached it. The guard moved to grab his arm and help him, but he pulled away, hugging himself and the guard backed off. He was still chained when he sat down, as always. Martha entered the frame and sat down across from him, applying the electrodes as she had before, and beginning to speak as she switched on the machine._

_"He was only trying to help you, you know." She admonished him. She seemed a bit more comfortable around him now although her body language was still guarded "As I've told you, he's no threat to you."_

_"Perhaps he should make up his mind about me then." Jyun replied dryly "Either I'm too weak to walk on my own or I'm strong enough to be a threat."_

_"Now you're just being difficult." Martha replied, sighing "As your physician I should remind you not to overtax yourself. You're still recovering."_

_"No danger of that. As I'm living in a small cell at the moment."_

_"Have you remembered anything?"_

_"No. Why? Have you come across any new clues?"_

_"Nothing to help explain what happened to you." __Jyun straightened a little at this, but Martha put a hand up adding "You know that we can't discuss this."_

_Jyun deflated a little. He looked down at his hands, making a frustrated sound, then leaned forward to rest his head on the table._

_"I want to help you. I've been trying to make sense of it. If I could just figure it out I would tell you, but I don't know what happened. All I know is that it was bad, really bad and I don't know if he'll be willing to face it!"_

_"It's alright, just calm down. We'll just move on to-"_

_"No it's not." Jyun interrupted though he had seemed to be calming down, "It's not alright. People are dead. I was almost one of them and I have no idea what happened or how I was involved, or why those aliens had apparently been attacking me. What if I could help stop this and instead I'm just sitting around oblivious while it all goes on around me."_

_"Well then at least you're safe here where they can't reach you." Martha pointed out in a calming tone "Now come on. Let's get through this. If you'd like we could move on to testing. We don't have to discuss this right now."_

_Jyun met her gaze for a moment, beginning to look slightly dazed. His breathing was slowing down, time increasing between breaths, but each breath was strangely shallow. He tilted forward slightly, leaning his weight against the table. Martha straightened in her seat, studying his face._

_"Jyun...?" She asked _

_"No I think..." Jyun said breathlessly "I think it's..."_

_"Jyun, are you alright?" Martha asked, putting a hand to her earpiece. The brain-scan lit up bright and chaotic for a moment as his head fell forward and then it slowly settled into a newer, different, signature. His pale head hung forward for a moment before he looked up, breathing quickly, his gaze darting nervously around him. Upon seeing Martha leaning towards him, he snatched his arms back off the table away from her, flinching at the sound made by the chains._

_"Okay. Easy now. Easy." Martha said, pulling back from him slowly and holding her hands up in a placating manner. He was clearly traumatized. "That was you transitioning, wasn't it?"_

_He gave a twitchy nod, studying her carefully and attempting to steady himself before glancing warily over at the guard, who'd gone on alert at the sudden movement. Martha followed his gaze._

_"At ease, Sergeant." _

_He obeyed, albeit reluctantly._

_"You've just startled us a bit that's all." she explained gently, lowering her hands but leaving them on the table where he could easily see them. He was still huddled in on himself slightly and seemed hyper-aware of the others' actions. He looked trapped._

_"Where am I?" He asked quietly, finally looking her in the eye._

_"We're at a U.N.I.T. facility in London. You've been here under my care for almost two weeks." _

_His head tilted to the side a bit at that, reminding Amy a bit of an old stray cat that she'd known on her street growing up._

_"I'm Dr. Martha Jones and that is Sergeant Combs; he's just here to keep things safe."_

_"I'm Koschei." Koschei replied, relaxing a little bit now that he knew where he was. "The Doctor worked with U.N.I.T. I need the Doctor."_

_"I know. I've called him. He should be here any day now." Martha replied in the same calming voice as before._

_"Any __**day**__...?"Koschei echoed thoughtfully and inspected his handcuffs "Am I your prisoner? Am I under arrest?"_

_"No. Koschei." Martha assured him, shaking her head a bit apprehensively "No one is locking you up. Those are just a precaution."_

_"Oh, you mean to keep you safe from __**him**__." Koschei concluded darkly, his voice saddening as he asked "Has he... Did I hurt you?"_

_"Not this time." Martha replied after a pregnant pause. Koschei looked away, rocking forward. He mumbled something to himself in Galifreyan sounding close to tears before looking up at her again._

_"I am so sorry. I try to fight him but he..." Koschei said, digging his nails into his hand "I'm sorry I hurt you."_

_"You aren't the Master, are you?" Martha responded, her hand moving as if she was contemplating grabbing his hand in order to stop him. He was beginning to bleed._

_"I'm Koschei." He replied immediately, then leaned forward, grabbing and pulling roughly at his hair "I can't control him. We try to fight him down but he forces his way through. He's too strong."_

_Martha leaned over the table, wincing and almost wringing her hands rather than grab his to stop him hurting himself any further. The Sergeant was on alert again, but he seemed to know better than to move forward just yet._

_"Koschei..."_

_"I want him out of my head!" he continued. A tear rolled down his cheek and he was shaking, his left hand's nails covered with the blood from the wicked parallel scratches on his right hand._

_"Koschei," Martha said firmly, "Look at me. I see __**you**__. I see that you are not the Master. He is not here, now. You are safe.". He slowly relaxed his fists, then his arms, then finally calmed down enough that she leaned back again and took some deep breaths, which he mirrored. "Okay? You're okay."_

_"I can be calm."Koschei said a little breathlessly with a jerky nod "If you want me calm. I'll be calm."_

Amy stopped the playback. She didn't want to watch anymore. She looked over at the Doctor and saw his grim expression as he stared at the broken figure frozen on the screen. Neither of them spoke for one long drawn out moment. Amy got up and ejected the disk putting it carefully back in its envelope and when she turned back around the Doctor finally spoke.

"Listen I..um" the Doctor's voice came out sounding slightly rougher than usual and he cleared his throat, forcing it to sound more even and normal "If you don't want to look at these any more I'll understand. If you want to go wait for me in the TARDIS I can-"

"I'm doing no such thing." Amy cut in. She had no desire to be separated from the Doctor again after the Dalek incident and she wasn't buying the Doctor's forced calm either "You're right. I'd rather not see that, but I'm still helping you with this. If he needs help, then _we'll_ help him. I'm not leaving you to handle this alone."

"You don't have to..." the Doctor began argue but stopped, when he saw the stubborn look on her face. The one that meant she wouldn't be going anywhere and no one was going to make her.

* * *

><p>The creature shuffled uncomfortably in it's small enclosure. It didn't like this one bit. The air around it felt far too cool and damp and uncomfortable. The walls of the filthy metal box it was in were scratched and stained and the entire thing smelled of disgusting bits of rotting organic matter and rejected synthetic chemical products. It was better than outside though. Outside was too bright and too busy. Outside he was blind. He hated this. There was a horrible ringing in his head. He could no longer hear his brothers or his mother's mind. There was only shrill ringing. His head hurt. His limbs hurt and he was hungry. More importantly he was furious. There was someone outside coming towards him, undoubtedly one of the natives. They would discover him soon. Good. He'd been wanting to kill something.<p>

* * *

><p>.<p>

**A/N:** Thank you to all who read this story so far. I hope that you continue to enjoy it and of course, thank you to my dear reviewers. I am glad that you thought it worth your while to take the time to comment and I am very happy that you liked what I've written so far. Please, do review this people. I would love to hear what you think so far. It really is helpful to hear _any_ feedback from you, even if you are just pointing out a little thing you're not sure about or if you noticed something you think I might have missed(Except Jyun's unique speech pattern which I wrote like that on purpose, sorry). For instance: I make rather annoying spelling/grammar mistakes sometimes and I apologize if something got over looked in the edit. I would be more than happy to fix it. Well, now that my little panic moment is over, umm..yeah. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this..Okay I'll shut up now.


	4. Speak No Evil

Jyun sniffed the air and smiled slightly. He raised his head at the familiar sound of ' footsteps as she walked toward his cell, and looked expectantly toward the cell door until she came into view. He met her gaze immediately when she did.

"The Doctor is here now. It's time to go see him." She said standing back to let the slightly puffy faced and constantly vaguely-annoyed looking Sergeant Combs unlock the door. Another younger soldier whose name escaped him at the moment stepped in to handcuff him. Jyun held out his wrists obediently and the young man paused for a moment in surprise.

"I know." Jyun replied wanly and stood, letting them lead him down the corridor with Martha a few paces up ahead. When they finally reached the familiar grey-green door he was a bit surprised when she didn't wait and enter after him the way she always had before, but instead headed onward down the hall to disappear around a corner. He was led into that familiar room and sat in his usual seat where Combs chained him to the table as usual. Though now the bands around his wrists were always a little tighter. The Master had really scared the shit out Combs. Not that he'd ever been a particularly nice guy to Jyun before then but at least he'd not been a dick. The Sergeant finished clicking the cuffs into place leaving Jyun's wrists feeling pinched and sore.

"Ah, thank you Sergeant. You're always so helpful." Jyun remarked sarcastically. The Sergeant just took his place by the door, ignoring him. Jyun wasn't really to bothered by this. He was fairly convinced by now that Combs was probably doing the best he could, but must simply have suffered some sort of 'unfortunate incident' early in life and gotten stuck this way. He looked up at the dark glass of the observation room a level above him, ignoring Combs' dull stare. He watched the dark shapes move about behind the tinted glass as a technician applied the electrodes and set up the machine. _~It looks like there are three of them today. Martha's probably one of them. Maybe the Doctor has a friend up there observing.~_ The door opened once again and a slender, dark-haired young man in a tweed suit with suspenders and a bow-tie entered the room. Jyun took in a deep breath, enjoying the familiar scent of another of his kind so close by and relaxed his shoulders.

"Finally." He said by way of greeting

"Yes. I know I'm late. Just upgraded so she's been doing that a bit lately but I did try." The Doctor rambled. Jyun gave him a look.

"Ah yes, the classic blame the TARDIS defense. I can see you're really taking this seriously." He responded drily as the Doctor took the seat across from him.

"So you're Jyun then." The Doctor concluded casually, then after Jyun continued simply to stare at him he added "...and you're mad at me."

"..."

"I get it"

"..."

"Jyun!"

"Doctor."

"That's better." The Doctor said, relieved. Then popped up out of his chair moving around the table to sit on the tabletop next to Jyun's chained hands "Now let's have a look at you."

He took out his sonic-screwdriver and began scanning Jyun with it. Combs seemed somewhat unhappy about this, glaring back and forth between the two with eyes the color of wet cement but both Timelords seemed to have forgotten that he existed, so it didn't make much difference.

"How is it you're here? The last time I saw you, or rather the Master, you were being pulled back into the timelock. The signal could have died off before you were pulled all the way back but the stresses would have killed you." The Doctor half asked, half thought aloud, continuing his perusal of Jyun's slight form.

"I don't know. I just woke up naked in the middle of a park at about eleven at night."Jyun answered uncomfortably "I ended up stealing clothes out of some kid's bag and hiding away in the alleys trying to avoid notice."

"Mmmm." The Doctor hummed unhappily at the results of his scan. "Your body has undergone some kind of mutation. It doesn't look like you're in any immediate danger but your system might be a bit vulnerable."

"What kind of mutation?" Jyun asked uneasily, not at all reassured by the way the Doctor seemed to be avoiding eye contact all of a sudden.

"Not sure." The Doctor replied putting his hand to Jyun's neck to feel his pulse "It does explain a few things though, doesn't it."

"Doctor-"Jyun insisted as the Doctor got up off the table and reclaimed his seat

" Jyun." The Doctor said sharply, cutting him off and snapping his hazel eyes up to meet Jyun's. "I'm working on it."

Then his expression softened as he continued more gently. "Just three of you?"

"Yes." Jyun responded, looking at his hands seeming disturbed by the question.

"Sajyuol?" The Doctor asked, tilting his head to see the smaller man's eyes.

"I don't know." The other Timelord replied softly.

"Interesting..." The Doctor noted, leaning back in his chair lost in thought.

* * *

><p>Bert, the old homeless man, was just going about his usual business. It was damn near time for him to get himself something to eat. He hadn't had much luck today begging, and so it looked like he'd be eating out of the bins again. He went over to one of his favorite skips on this street. Though the fact that he actually <em>had<em> a favorite skip really did speak to the poor man's quality of life. He waddled up to the skip but froze as the lid suddenly moved, lifting up a few inches for a split second before slapping back down, shutting itself again. Bert grabbed the knife he kept on his person at all times, for protection. He steeled himself and moved more cautiously toward the skip. Just as he was reaching the apparently harmless container and telling himself that maybe he was just imagining things, the lid flew open revealing what crouched inside. Well it looked like someone would be getting a nice meal after all. Poor Bert.

* * *

><p>"So let's assume for the moment that that really is how you're still here." The Doctor thought aloud "The connection was severed before you could be pulled back and you got catapulted right back out of the vortex to land here in London about two months ago. We can't be sure how yet, but you survived it somehow, maybe due to your mutation, maybe due to some other currently unknown factor, but you survived it and you've been hiding out in the shadows ever since, surviving on whatever scraps you could snatch up for yourself. But this change - this mutation isn't random. It's far too neat for that. I mean your appearance has changed, but not enough for a regeneration, and you certainly didn't have the energy even for a partial one when you were pulled in. You could barely hold yourself together. It is the same body though. The coloring's changed and your body's gender seems to have become a bit more ambiguous-"<p>

"Thank you." Jyun deadpanned

"-but it _is_ definitely the same body." The Doctor continued as if uninterrupted, "So what caused it? Why have the two of you resurfaced - but just you? Seems a bit suspicious don't you think? The protector vanishes just as the monster shows up. Leaves the core behind."

Jyun looked away, shifting restlessly. He had thought of that himself, but as worrying as the thought was, he liked the Doctor beginning to wonder about it even less.

"So you've come back now but why just you?" The Doctor leaned over the table to study Jyun more closely. He could tell his friend was unsettled but felt that he needed to know more about this. If anything his discomfort proved the issue was more important.

"I've already told you." Jyun hedged hoping that the Doctor might take the hint even though he knew he wasn't likely to.

"No. You haven't told me everything. There's something you aren't telling me. What is it?" The Doctor pushed, searching Jyun's face as if trying to read the truth in his eyes.

"Theta-" Jyun almost pleaded, but was cut off once again.

"If you want my trust you have to trust, me first."The Doctor demanded, "No secrets. No lies. Understood?"

"I'm not lying." Jyun countered in the same quiet tone as before

"Understood?" The Doctor repeated, his dark eyes burning into the deep ochre eyes of his counterpart. They stayed that way for a while, resembling two life-like statues before Jyun finally blinked and looked away, losing the silent battle between them.

"It's not my secret; it's Koschei's. He keeps things from you for your own good. You've never really wanted to know anyway." He told the Doctor sounding resigned and maybe just a little angry.

"Jyun..." The Doctor began, but Jyun's head fell forward and he went still, already transitioning. He stayed slumped forward like that even after the signatures had finished shifting. It looked almost as though he was asleep but the Doctor could see his eyes open. He gently reached forward to touch the mess of soft, white hair on his old friend's head. Koschei reacted immediately, sighing and leaning into the touch.

"You came." He said fondly, looking adoringly up at the other Timelord, "I knew you would."

"What about two weeks ago?" The Doctor asked, raising an eyebrow

Koschei shrugged a little jerkily, seeming more interested in studying the Doctor's new regeneration than in defending himself. He also seemed much calmer in the Doctor's presence than his recent predecessor had.

"That was Jyun. Jyun's bitter." He replied as if that explained everything. The Doctor pulled back, resting his hands together on the table in front of him and leaning against the edge.

"Koschei we need to talk about that night-" The Doctor said, ignoring the fact that Koschei was shaking his head and fidgeting at the mere mention of the night in question, "and some other things, the secrets you've been keeping from me."

"No. No we don't." Koschei insisted, shaking his head in distress, "We _don't_ have to. You don't need to know. The hunters came, and it was all over, but then... Now you're here! We can stop them. We won't talk about the monsters."

"You need to trust me, Kos. I am trying to fix this but I need to know more first." The Doctor insisted, a little disturbed by Koschei's apparent mental instability.

"I always trust you." Koschei replied earnestly, any trace of his apparent mania vanishing as he looked lucidly into the other man's face.

"Then talk to me. Tell me what you saw that night." His friend persisted.

"There's only nonsense. Memories in puzzle-pieces, the dark shapes coming - and then they were tearing and-" He batted at his head with the last phrase, as if trying to swat away some invisible, parasitic pest, then just as suddenly stopped and looked up, "I'm sorry."

"Kos?" The Doctor asked, confused. Koschei looked down at his hands like a scolded child.

"It's time to go." Koschei said. His voice sounded hollow and the Doctor thought he might have caught a hint of fear in his tone as well.

"What?" The Doctor asked a little louder than was truly necessary. There was a pregnant pause that seemed to go on for far too long. Then Martha's voice came over the Doctor's earpiece.

"Doctor, there's been another attack. Colonel Stone wants us upstairs in his office immediately."


	5. Thank You Bert

The Doctor hesitantly left the interrogation room and turned to see Martha and Amy descending the metal stairs from the observation deck to meet him.

"After you, Doctor Jones." The Doctor prompted affectionately, and Martha smiled as she moved past him to lead the way. Amy fell into step beside the Doctor, leaning toward him slightly as she spoke.

"Doctor, what's Sajyuol? When you mentioned it he got all frightened. Martha said it gave him a strong fight or flight response."

"Yes well that's understandable. He must have noticed it too. He's had a good, long while to think it over, after all." The Doctor said absentmindedly

"Noticed what?" Amy responded as they got into the elevator

"The timing - it was too perfect to be coincidental. Besides, that many random coincidences around one person... of course he's scared." The Doctor replied thoughtlessly. He was still going over his conversation with Koschei and Jyun, and the more he went over it, the more Koschei's disjointed responses worried him. Jyun was acting just like himself. Koschei, on the other hand was familiar enough that he _was_ clearly Koschei, yet something was definitely wrong, very wrong. Given his friend's distressed and strangely warped state of mind, the Doctor wasn't sure how he was going to get the information that he needed from him in order to sort out whatever was going on.

"Could you please back up a bit, and explain what's going on so we can understand?" Martha asked not unkindly.

"Alright-sure, but just to you two. Something feels off here, and until I know what it is, we need to tread very carefully." The Doctor cautioned, and Martha nodded, stopping the lift.

"Okay, go on. We have a few minutes before security checks on the lift." She said as she turned to face him.

"Right. Back on Gallifrey, a very long time ago, Koschei and I went to Timelord Academy together, but it was more than that. We did almost everything together. We were practically inseparable. He had a split personality then, too - three different people, just as he has now, only different. Koschei was of course the core, Jyun the watcher, and Sajyuol the protector. He had been going through treatments since he was young. They were trying to find a way to cure him, when Sajyuol just vanished, and he started acting differently, calling himself the Master. Then he stopped transitioning at all. We thought perhaps the treatments had worked...although...perhaps leaving something to be desired. Now Koschei and Jyun seem to be regaining control, but the Master's still here, and Sajyuol is conspicuously absent."

"Could the Master be Sajyuol?" Martha asked doubtfully, and the Doctor immediately shook his head

"No. Definitely not. He was a one-dimensional manifestation. He couldn't even communicate, let alone take over a planet. Besides, even if he could fool us, Koschei would be able to sense that it was him. They are all part of him, after all."

"You think someone did this to him?" Amy asked feeling a bit sick.

"It's certainly beginning to look that way." The Doctor replied. "Hesitant as I am to trust the Master, this _does_ seem to be the real deal. I - We need to figure out what is going on before he vanishes again."

The red phone on the wall rang and Martha grabbed it, assuring security that everything was fine before starting the lift again.

"Alright, I'm with you." Amy said. "Just tell me what you need me to do."

The Doctor gave her a small smile, but still looked slightly apprehensive.

"Hey, come on! You've got a lot going, don't you? Koschei needs help, and you've still got big, insectoid aliens dustifying people to track down." Amy insisted. "So give me something to do."

"Alright, I will then, but first let's see what the Colonel has to say shall we?" Amy nodded and they headed out of the lift, down the hall towards Colonel Stone's office.

His office turned out to be a fairly big one. It was as moderately sparse and functional as you'd expect a Colonel's office to be, although the two chairs facing the desk were nice ones with leather seats. The desk was expensive oak. There were quite a few medals and honors on display and a few hunting photos hung on the wall, along with a remarkably sentimental portrait of a gun. The whole place felt a little too military for the Doctor's liking.

"Ah, Dr. Jones... Doctor." The Colonel greeted and saluted from behind his desk. There was another uniformed man already sitting in one of the chairs facing the Colonel. He looked around thirty-ish with neat, dark brown hair and blue eyes set in a handsome face. He also stood to salute when they entered.

"At ease, gentlemen. No need for that." The Doctor turned to the unidentified soldier offering his hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm the Doctor and this is my assistant, Amy Pond."

"Major Thompson." The Major replied shaking the Doctor's proffered hand

"So you're Major Thompson. You've been helping Martha look after Koschei, am I right?" The Doctor asked. Amy thought she saw a look of disgust pass across the Colonel's face when the Doctor asked that, but when she looked at him directly it was gone. _~Never mind. Maybe I just imagined it. He does look a bit like a dog with a crew cut though, doesn't he?~_

"Yes, sir." Major Thompson confirmed _~Ha! Stop it, Amy. Focus.~_

"Please call me Doctor. None of that sir stuff for me, thanks." The Doctor corrected lightly.

"Doctor if we could get started please." The Colonel put in, his impatient expression only succeeding in further reminding Amy of a blond bulldog in a human suit.

"Right. Yes, sorry. Let's get started." The Doctor said dropping into the chair next to Major Thompson.

"Now I assume Dr. Jones has already told you about the alien incursion that occurred six weeks ago." Colonel Stone began as Major Thompson graciously offered Amy his seat, which she politely accepted. Martha seemed content to stand beside him with her hands resting on the back of the Doctor's chair. The Doctor confirmed the Colonel's assumption with a nod. "In the six weeks since, we've had thirteen fatalities, all of them confirmed victims of these unidentified aliens, five of them UNIT personnel, eight of them civilians of varying race, gender and age, with no recognizable link between them, other than the fact that they were out in London at night. Most of them were street people, which helped us keep this from going public, but we won't be able to keep the situation contained for much longer."

"Martha said you'd found two of these aliens' bodies." The Doctor prompted.

"Yes we did, but they started disintegrating pretty quickly. The bodies have since been incinerated according to protocol." Colonel Stone explained. The Doctor grimaced, clearly disapproving of the procedure even if he could understand the reasoning behind it.

"I did manage to autopsy one of the aliens before the body disintegrated. You're free to study my findings." Martha offered helpfully. The Doctor nodded, somewhat appeased by this.

"The latest killing happened not too far from here. I've already sent some of my men out to lock down the scene. If you would like to go and investigate it yourself, I'll have Major Thompson escort you." The Colonel continued watching the Doctor to see his reaction, perhaps anticipating an argument from him.

"Yes, that would be perfect. Oh, and any medical information I can get on the victims would be useful as well." The Doctor agreed, deliberately overlooking the Colonel's obvious anticipation. There was something about the middle-aged UNIT officer that made him feel wary. He wasn't going to let it show though, at least not for now.

"I'll get working on that right away." Martha replied

"Oh, and Doctor, I want you to keep me updated on your progress on this investigation." Colonel Stone added, his pale eyes meeting the Doctor's.

"Of course." The Doctor said with a nod.

"Alright, dismissed." The Colonel ordered.

As they left, Amy once again fell into step with the Doctor.

"So then, what do you you want me to do?" She asked after she heard Major Thompson shut the door behind them, following at a polite distance to let them talk.

"I need you to go over the information they have on Koschei and look for anything that might help us figure out what's happening to him or what happened in the alley, while I go check out the latest victim."

Amy let out a puff of air and clasped her hands together in front of her.

"Right. More tapes then. Anything in particular I should be watching for?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'll be sure to tell you if anything comes to mind." The Doctor assured her as they entered the elevator.

"Okay, got it." Amy said turning to talk to Martha. The Doctor stayed silent, watching the others and thinking over everything he'd learned so far. Martha and Amy were in quiet conversation about the research done on Koschei's condition. Major Thompson was quiet as well. He and the Doctor shared a glance but neither said anything just yet. Each of them was preoccupied with his own train of thought. When the lift stopped and Martha and Amy stepped out, the Doctor finally spoke.

"Oh, Amy, Martha." The Doctor called as the doors began to close. Major Thompson grabbed the lift door to stop it closing, " Just one more thing. Stay together until I come back."

"Doctor?" Martha asked exchanging a glance with Amy

"Listen, no questions. Not now. Just promise me you'll look out for each other until I get back." The Doctor urged, looking at each of them seriously. Amy had been about to object, but sobered as his dark eyes drilled into hers.

"I promise." She said, though there was a question in her expression. Martha nodded.

"Alright then. I'll check back soon. Off we go." The Doctor said stepping back. His mood had shifted in a split second and now the heavy wariness of the previous exchange had utterly vanished, replaced by the energetic, enthusiastic alien they were more familiar with. Major Thompson paused for a moment and let go of the door. He looked over at the Doctor after the doors had shut.

"Can you tell me what that was about?" He asked finally

"I'm not sure yet. Give me time." The Doctor replied. "You were feeding Jyun lunch when I got here. Do you always do that?"

"Not always. But I have been lately." The Major replied patiently. "He won't eat anything brought in by the others."

The Doctor nodded at this. It seemed to Thompson that he'd just confirmed a suspicion of his.

"You seem much more comfortable with me than your Colonel does."

"Dr. Jones told me about you." Major Thompson explained, "Jyun's mentioned you as well."

"Oh really?" The Doctor said, sounding pleased. " Then tell me, Major: am I meeting your expectations?"

The lift opened and they stepped out with Major Thompson leading the way.

"I'm not sure Doctor. Give me time." He replied echoing the Doctor's earlier remark.

* * *

><p>Sure enough when the Doctor and Major Thompson arrived at the scene it was already all cordoned off with UNIT personnel swarming the place. When they got to the perimeter, a young, blond Captain hurried to meet them.<p>

"Sir." He greeted saluting. The Doctor sighed.

"Captain Mallory." Thompson acknowledged, returning the salute. "The Doctor is here to see the body."

"Yes sir. Right this way, sir." The Captain replied and quickly led them over to the side of the building. There was an old, scruffy man frozen cowering against the wall. Part of his hand was already missing from having succumbed to the weight of the knife he'd been using to defend himself. The knife had fallen straight through his leg leaving a strange indentation where his powdery leg had buckled but his jeans had remained intact. There were nasty gashes on the man's arms and face from the creature's bladed forelegs. There were two forensics technicians trying to preserve the body for as long as they could. They had already erected a sail-like portable wall to block the wind. The Doctor knelt down in front of the body to inspect it.

"Has anyone touched the remains or handled the evidence?" Thompson asked glancing at the technicians. The young Captain shook his head immediately.

"No sir. The scene was kept undisturbed as per orders." The Doctor for the most part ignored them. He was more interested in what clues he might find on the victim than in listening to them "sir" each other back and forth. He passed his sonic-screwdriver over the body and was unsurprised by the results of his scan. _~Inert carbon ash, little to no radiation, no electrical charge, no moisture.~_ He studied the gashes in the poor man's arm and..success!

"Hey, excuse me. Yes, sorry, could you pass me those tweezers over there in your case, please?" He asked the technician closest to him, who startled a bit, but then complied.

"You've found something." Thompson noted, moving to the Doctor's side. The Doctor carefully pulled a chip of shiny, black, shell-like material out of the ashy arm, holding it where they could both see.

"Oh yes. You beauty!" The Doctor said as he examined his find. "A perfect sample of exoskeleton. The knife must have chipped it when the man lashed out at the creature."

"You have any idea what could be doing this?" Thompson asked as the Doctor dropped the fragment into a phial the technician held out to him.

"Thanks." The Doctor said politely before answering the Major's question. "I can't be sure yet, but it looks like this was done by a species of navitavore. There are probably a group of them hunting together. Navitavores tend to travel in packs."

"Navitavores?"

"Yes. They feed on raw energy. In this case I'd say electromagnetic. That's why the bodies are ash. They've had so much electricity sapped from them that they began to lose cohesion." The Doctor explained before popping up and grabbing the phial. "I need to get this back to the TARDIS and run a chemical analysis on it before it disintegrates. If I'm right it'll be coated with a paralytic enzyme of some sort. If I can identify the compound it might allow me to identify the species."

Major Thompson stood as well and they quickly took their leave.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: This was posted a little earlier than originally planned due to the fact that the preceding one was shorter than the others and due to the requests of readers. Well, my beta and a reviewer to be entirely honest and Thank you to my dear BiggerOnTheInside I'm glad you approved. It was actually a bit of work for me to get Koschei's character down. I found that I had to first try to get the non-maniacal sounding Koschei's character down before I could manage to satisfactorily characterize the Koschei I have introduced you folks to in the previous chapter. Also, the way that he layers his speech (hint, hint) made it a little more time consuming. Fear not though, the Master will make an appearance...eventually. Though the way I look at it both alters represent different aspects of Koschei's sub-conscious. So, in a way, you may already have glimpsed a hint of him beforehand.


	6. The Path of Thought

_"I had the dream again last night. In the dream I can't remember. It's important to remember, but I forgot. That was bad of me." Koschei said._

_"What did you forget?" Martha asked patiently_

_"How should I know? I forgot. You're not a good listener. Listeners listen. You're just being silly." Koschei told her with a harassed expression on his face, but his eyes held a spark of mischief..._

Amy was once again sitting in the small conference room going over recordings of the sessions Martha had done with her three-minded alien patient. She really felt like she was getting to know Jyun pretty well at least. The Doctor had been gone for almost two hours now, and most of the footage was of Jyun conversing with Martha in a dry, emotionally distant manner. Now that she'd seen more footage of him, she realized how calm and controlled he was most of the time. He reminded her of what she suspected a real life equivalent of a Vulcan might be like, an extremely glib Vulcan at least. His facial expressions seemed to be in a subtle range consisting of: mildly interested, bored, mildly annoyed (which she'd begun to think probably indicated he was pretty damn pissed off), and a warmth around his eyes she'd decided to call his 'you're being adorable but I won't let on' face. She decided she liked that one best. Koschei in contrast with his stoic alter was much more passionate. He tended towards playful moods, seeming almost childlike at times - as long as nobody pushed him to revisit his memory of the assault he'd survived. His movements were oddly jerky and twitchy. He was clearly very damaged, but Amy noticed that at times his disjointed ramblings took on an almost riddle-like rhythm to them, as if he were less hysterical and more playing with his words as he spoke. After the second time it happened, she started marking it down whenever he did it. On the fifth occurrence, she looked over at Martha who was busily going over the autopsy files from the insect case in the seat to Amy's right. She quickly scribbled it down just the same way she had the others and opened her mouth to ask Martha about it when Martha's mobile rang.

"Doctor." Martha answered eagerly.

"Yes, hello. I have an update on our insectoid aliens." The Doctor informed her.

"Wait. Hold on a minute. I'm going to put you on speakerphone." Martha said, switching it on and setting the phone down on the table in between Amy and herself."Okay go on."

"I've just finished running a chemical analysis on a fragment of exoskeleton I found on the latest victim. It looks as if we're dealing with a species of nocturnal navitavores known as the Dole... My! They're a bit far from home!...Anyway they usually hunt in packs of nine to thirteen, mostly male. One female if it's a small pack, three at most. The males will be the ones hunting. The females lead the pack."

"If they're hunting, then why are the people turned to dust?" Amy asked.

"Not dust, ash." The Doctor corrected. "They feed mostly on electromagnetic energy that they strip from other lifeforms. Sometimes psychic charge as well. That explains why they wanted Koschei. On a planet full of psi-null humans a regular Timelord would look delicious to them. Someone who emits energy the way he does would be irresistible."

"They were going to eat him?" Amy mumbled, feeling a bit nauseous.

"Absorb him, yes. It's very lucky you found him when you did. If you hadn't, well..." The line went silent for a moment. " Ah, right. Any news on your end, then?"

"Actually, yes. I think I have. I can't be sure though, but at least it's worth a look." Amy said.

"You've found something on the recordings then." The Doctor said hopefully.

"Maybe." Amy replied sounding impatient.

"Alright. I'll see you after I check in with Colonel Stone then."

"See you then." Amy agreed.

"Bye." Martha said hanging up. They paused for a moment before Martha let out an exhausted breath and opened another folder to continue research. Amy shrugged and resumed playback.

_..."I am listening, Koschei. It's just a little difficult sometimes to follow your train of thought." Martha assured him gently._

_"What were thoughts before trains? Were they roads? Were they paths?" Koschei's eyes lit up with mirth as he continued. "The foot-path of thought!"(he giggled)" I don't stay on the path, though. It's better to be lost in the woods."_

_Martha pinched the bridge of her nose. She looked a little lost in the woods herself._

_"Can we please focus now Koschei? It's time for some more testing." She looked tired. _

_"Hmmmm, testing." He hummed. "Test me."..._

* * *

><p>Major Thompson knocked on the door to the Colonel's office. The Doctor bounced impatiently on the balls of his feet. Ever since they'd left the TARDIS he'd been acting energetic and restless. Thompson just stood by the door patiently, trying not to seem amused. The pause before the Colonel acknowledged them was not unexpected. As Captain Mallory had once put it, the Colonel 'liked to make 'em wait'.<p>

"Enter." Colonel Stone's rough voice finally called, and the Doctor practically burst through the door. "Doctor, you have new information for me?"

"Oh, yes. I have identified our alien hunters." The Doctor said, not sitting in the chair in front of Colonel Stone's desk, but instead leaning on the back of it, seeming to vibrate with energy. "It's a species of nocturnal predators called the Dole. They use their bladed forelegs to stun their prey, and then after their prey is paralyzed, they absorb all of the electromagnetic charge from the victim's body. It's strange to see them hunting this far away from Netrhea Minor though, especially on Earth. Humans aren't really the most appealing food source for them. They must have been drawn here by something else-"

"Doctor!" The Colonel cut in rather harshly. "Do you know how to stop them?"

"Not yet."

"Then kindly get to the point."

"They're nocturnal." The Doctor explained. The Colonel didn't seem to appreciate it, if his icy stare of death was anything to go by.

"If I may, sir." Thompson added helpfully. "The last attack happened in broad daylight. Something must have gone wrong."

The Doctor looked at the younger man encouragingly. Silently urging him to continue.

"One of these Dole could have gotten separated from the rest of its pack. Maybe it's injured." Thompson continued, making the Doctor proud."We might be able to capture it."

"Yes, wonderful! Exactly what I was thinking. It should be somewhere in the area around the body. We could set up a search party. It couldn't have gotten very far."

"I'll have my men form a perimeter around the scene." The Colonel decided. "We'll probably have to use something stronger than standard tranqs."

"Tranquilizers will just bounce off the exoskeleton." The Doctor confirmed. "Cold slows them down. Liquid nitrogen would do nicely. It should keep him stunned long enough to lock him up."

"I'll see what the lab techs have to offer." Colonel Stone replied, looking to the Doctor. "Anything else?"

"Not presently. Just - proceed with caution. They are very clever, and very fast. They had to be, volcano-dwellers living on an ice planet. Tell your men: when they try to stun him, they can't afford to miss."

The Colonel nodded irritably "Dismissed."

As they walked away from the Colonel's office toward the lifts the Doctor crossed his arms, considering for a moment before he turned and remarked conversationally to Major Thompson.

"You know, I don't think he likes me very much."

"I wouldn't take it personally." Thompson responded as they reached the lifts and he pressed the down arrow.

"He doesn't mind you."

"I'm one of his people." Thompson replied a little darkly. There was something about the way he said 'his people' that made it clear the phrase had nothing to do with his place in the military, something that the Major didn't agree with.

* * *

><p>Koschei was huddled in one corner of his cell eating the very rare meat that Major Thompson had brought to him for dinner. It had taken a few days for Martha to adjust the menu to his unique dietary needs and even longer for any of the men responsible for him to get used to it. It was pretty clear to him that many of them found it unnerving. He was a little uncomfortable about it himself at times, but nowhere near enough to make him do something as stupid as to starve himself. His newly mutated body seemed to be primarily carnivorous, craving meat, the bloodier, the better, and.. oddly, but not completely unexpectedly: sugar. He had tried to eat veggies a couple of times but his body seemed to have issues processing plants, so he didn't bother with it any more. He'd rather not make himself throw up again if he could help it. He dug into his nearly raw steak and tried not to think about the way his guard was looking anywhere but at him. Trying not to feel like a monster. <em>~A flash of dark menacing shapes. Predatory attackers lashing out, hungrily.~<em> He stopped eating for a second and tried to purge the image from his mind. He took another bite, more daintily this time. He took few more cautious bites and flinched. _~A terrified scream, the energy being drained from his helpless struggling form. He tried desperately to defend himself. The creature was laughing, enjoying his struggle.~_ He squeezed his eyes shut tightly against the terrible image, once again trying to force the unwanted vision out of his mind. He felt nauseous now. He knew he needed to finish eating and keep his strength up, but he couldn't really even stand to look at his food anymore. He had taken too long between transitions. Luckily Jyun was willing to take over for him.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing (if you did in fact review) my story so far. I originally planned to post this two days ago but life got in the way. I'm pretty sure I'll be able to post the next chapter on schedule at the beginning of next week though. Barring any unforeseen obstacles. Mmm... okay that's all for now. I guess.


	7. The Devil, You Know

When the Doctor and Major Thompson got to the conference room where Amy and Martha were working, Martha was just tidying up the piles of paper in front of her and preparing to leave.

"Sorry Doctor but I've got to go. I just got a call from Colonel Stone." Martha said as they walked in. "I've left my notes for you right here, along with the autopsy information and the rest in these files. I'll come back as soon as I can."

"That's alright. I'm sure Major Thompson will be able to help us in the meantime."

With an apologetic smile Martha hurried out of the room. Thompson stepped out of her way easily and held the door for her, closing it behind her.

"So, Amy what have you got to show me?" The Doctor said, plopping down into Martha's hurriedly vacated seat. Thompson more quietly slipped into the chair on Amy's left in a subtly more dignified manner.

"Well, I was going over the recordings of Martha's sessions with Koschei and his alters, and I noticed a weird shift in Koschei's speech pattern. After it happened again I started writing them down. It seemed kind of like he was doing it on purpose." She opened her notebook and passed it to the Doctor. "I think he might be trying to tell us something."

"You think it's a code?" Thompson asked.

"I dunno. It started to sound like one after he did it a couple times. I can't be sure though. I figured I'd see what you thought, Doctor, before I got too focused on it."

"It's definitely something." The Doctor said thoughtfully, looking through Amy's notes "He keeps mentioning a dream he's having."

"Yes, a pretty regular theme. He dreams he's forgotten something extremely important." Amy agreed.

"Sounds like your standard anxiety dream." Thompson noted. "Why?"

The Doctor looked back up at the two humans, holding up the notebook. To add to his point.

"A standard occurrence if it were one of you, yes, but Timelords don't need to sleep." The Doctor informed them "You were right Amy. There is definitely something here, but why is he using a code?"

"I don't know, but I think I might be getting a feel for it. I may be able to translate whatever it is he's been trying to tell us."

The Doctor spun the notebook around so it was facing Amy and somehow managed to bounce his chair over to her side in one go, causing Major Thompson to raise his eyebrows at the Doctor's antics.

"Like here." She pointed to one of the riddle-like phrases that she'd jotted down near the end of the list. "This was the second time this theme popped up. Martha had been getting worn out trying to understand him and told him that she wasn't following his train of thought. He mentions the 'path of thought' and says he likes to go off the path because it's better to be lost in the woods. I think this is him trying to explain the code to her but she was too tired to pick up on it."

"How does that explain the code?" Thompson asked skeptically.

"No, that's it! Amelia Pond you are brilliant! That's why Koschei's reactions seemed so off when I talked to him." The Doctor exclaimed. "Tell me Major Thompson, when you first found him what were his injuries? Was there anything strange, anything that might affect his nervous system?"

"Well, he was pretty badly beaten. There wasn't really much of him that wasn't injured." Thompson responded, speeding up a bit when he saw Amy's expression "I um, I remember seeing some patterned bruising on the back of his neck, near his spine, but I thought that he must have gotten it from getting thrown into the wall."

"It wasn't from the wall. It's a forced telepathic link. It's how they mark their prey. That's why his thoughts seem so disjointed. He has to keep scrambling the signal to keep them confused." The Doctor explained.

"Keep himself lost in the woods." Thompson said to prove he was following. "It probably wouldn't be good to focus on the people who were trying to read your mind against your will, either."

"Exactly, that's also why he panics at the mention of the attack." The Doctor continued. "He took a big risk even telling me as little as he did."

"How are we going to find out what he knows without leading them right to him?" Amy inquired.

"How indeed." The Doctor agreed. "I want you to keep working on the code. See what other information he might have already given us."

"Okay, no problem. What about you Doctor?" Amy said.

"I'm going to grab some stuff from the TARDIS. See if I can find a way to cancel the Dole's telepathic link."

* * *

><p>Martha walked carefully into the already nearly full main conference room seeing it buzzing with activity. Colonel Stone stood at the head of the conference table conversing with a woman that Martha recognized from Thompson's team. Lieutenant Grace Lee was a formidable woman. She was a Torchwood veteran who had gladly transferred to work with UNIT because of how much she loved aliens, and strongly disagreed with Torchwood's xenophobic policies. Right now she didn't seem too happy with whatever it was Colonel Stone was saying to her. Martha walked up to them and waited for her commanding officer to acknowledge her presence.<p>

"...I understand your concerns Lieutenant, but it's my prerogative." The Colonel was saying. "If you aren't capable of handling the responsibility, I can find someone to take your place. Now, do we have a problem?"

"No sir." Lieutenant Lee replied stiffly, her distaste for whatever they'd been discussing still apparent in her usually warm almond eyes.

"Good." Colonel Stone said overlooking her discomfort, "Go. Prepare to head out. Major Thompson will be meeting with you shortly."

"Yes sir." She replied and quickly left.

"Dr. Jones, I have a new assignment for you." Stone informed her, turning to face her.

"Sir?" Martha questioned feeling uneasy.

"You've learned a fair amount about these Dole's biology in your research correct?"

Martha nodded, not liking where this seemed to be heading.

"Good. I need you to find me a way to kill them."

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: It's late I know I am sorry. Ummm... Yeah. So.. here it is. The next chapter will be more engaging. Thank you for your patience.


	8. Let the Rabbits Wear Glasses

Amy sat in the conference room going over the footage just as before, only now the Doctor was hard at work on the Distracting-Unspecified-Device beside her. She knew what it was for, and that was enough for her. She just wished he'd stop making so much noise as he tinkered with it. The Doctor would probably explain it to her when he'd gotten the bloody thing to work. She hoped that would turn out to be very soon. From what they'd heard from Martha through the ever-helpful Major Thompson, Colonel Stone was beginning to lose patience, and from the look on the Major's face when he had come to check on them, she got the feeling that would probably be an extremely bad thing for all of them. She glanced at the clock that hung on the wall above the door. _~Shit! Only three hours left until the Dole start hunting again! Calm down. Focus, we can do this. The Doctor did save the world in twenty minutes after all. Just do your bit. He's got it all sorted.~_ The Doctor sharply barked out a foreign sounding word that was pretty obviously an alien swear of some sort, and angrily dropped the device he was working on _~Okay so he __**will**__ have it all sorted. No pressure.~_ She shifted her attention forcefully back to the screen.

_..."What is it Koschei?" Martha asked putting the cards they had been working with back in the folder in front of her and trying to get her clearly unhappy alien patient to meet her eyes. They'd been trying to trigger his memory of the incident, covering it as another part of his testing, but it hadn't been working. Amy had been onto them pretty early into this supposed new test. She was sure Koschei was, too, by the way his responses became more and more distorted, and __**really**__ if he was anywhere near as smart as the Doctor (which she was pretty sure he was) he was a lot cleverer than they seemed to give him credit for. She'd be willing to bet that he'd caught them out even faster than she had. _

_"No more testing." Koschei stated irritably, in another random moment of obvious lucidity. He looked a bit like an adult who'd been trying to tolerate an incredibly disrespectful child and was nearing the end of his patience. Martha looked slightly shaken by his firm response but quickly regained composure._

_"I told them you probably wouldn't like that one," She admitted, "but my superiors seemed to think it was still worth a try. I won't make you do it again if you don't want to."_

_Koschei seemed to be appeased by this, but he still looked upset. He shifted restlessly in his chair as she flipped through the folder, preparing the next test. She looked up at him, noticing this, and paused, studying his expression carefully for a moment before she spoke again._

_"Is there something else bothering you?" She asked. He continued to fidget in his seat but didn't respond. He seemed hesitant to speak to her about it. "You know you can trust me Koschei."_

_Koschei eyed the cards in the folder in front of her meaningfully. _

_"I've never done anything to harm you." She said defensively "I've always given you the benefit of the doubt even when it wasn't easy for me."_

_Amy couldn't help but think that one was a little heavy handed._

_"It happened again." Koschei admitted after waiting a beat to consider. "I still can't remember what I've forgotten. It was too important to forget and now she's getting very upset with me."_

_"Who's getting upset with you?"_

_"The pretty red-haired girl." Koschei answered matter-of-factly. "She needs me to remember. I don't think she'll forgive me."_

_Amy felt a surreal feeling come over her. She was now very much transfixed by the recording in front of her._

_"You've never mentioned a girl before." Martha was saying " Who is she?" _

_"A Scottish girl. I don't know her, only I do, only she doesn't know me."..._

The Doctor stopped playback. At some point he must've stopped struggling with his troublesome device and tuned into Amy's little existential moment. He was watching her now, waiting patiently for her to snap out of it, probably going over the implications of their new discovery in his head while he did. Finally she spoke.

"I want to see him." The Doctor looked over her shoulder at Captain Mallory, the amiable young man sent to monitor them while Major Thompson was busy elsewhere.

"I'm sorry, Ma'am but it's already lights out on that level of containment." Captain Mallory explained apologetically

"So what if it's lights out! He's a Timelord. It's not like he needs his sleep. Just bring him out quietly." Amy persisted

"It's not about that Ma'am." Captain Mallory replied, sounding a little tense. "I've been given strict orders that information on the Dole is top priority. I am to stay here with the Doctor until he finds a way to get it for us. The other guards are intensely opposed to going anywhere near his cell after lights out. The only ones who were ever comfortable with it at all are myself and Major Thompson, and I doubt the Colonel's going to order them to go down there just for your sake."

Amy opened her mouth to continue pushing him but the Doctor spoke first.

"They always avoid his cell after lights out?"

"They've heard what he's capable of and they don't know him well enough to want to take the risk. Besides, even if I don't mind going down there in the dark, I have to admit that seeing him in there with his eyes glowing like that is downright creepy." Captain Mallory admitted. As he said the last bit, the frown slipped off of Amy's face to be replaced momentarily by surprise.

"Ah, yes. That's just the light reflecting off his tapetum. It's just another aspect of his mutation, certainly nothing to be afraid of." The Doctor remarked. Then seeing their blank faces, he explained. "He can see in the dark like a cat."

Amy nodded and went back to staring Captain Mallory down. She'd gotten used to weird things like that pretty quickly while traveling with the Doctor, and compared to other things she'd seen with him already, an alien with eyes reminiscent of a feline was actually pretty normal.

"Have someone send me down then. I'm not afraid of seeing him in the dark." She basically ordered the UNIT officer. "Besides it'll make it easier to translate for him if I can get practice doing it first-hand."

"You can take her to see him while I'm out searching for our wounded Dole with Major Thompson. Learning what's going on with Koschei is as important as anything else. Probably even more so." The Doctor pointed out.

"I'll talk to the Colonel but I can tell you he won't be happy with the idea of having a civilian alone with an insane alien."

"You might not want to phrase it that way." The Doctor said sounding slightly irked.

"Right sir." Mallory said, straightening his posture as if reprimanded.

* * *

><p>Major Thompson and his team headed cautiously into the supposedly empty abandoned building, along with the Doctor, who, to Thompson's endless unease had insisted on wandering about unarmed apparently refusing to keep behind Thomson and his people. They all wore heavy protective gloves and infrared goggles. They were all equipped with adapted fluid dispersion weapons the techies had given them, capable of giving the Dole they were after a nice big face full of liquid nitrogen. Each gun was good for only two shots but the Doctor had made it very clear that they weren't likely to get a chance to use another round on the thing if they missed the first time. As an extra precaution, Major Thompson had ordered that no one on his team would go anywhere without at least one other team member there to watch their back, just in case the creature decided to try and sneak up on them. He hurried after the Doctor as he turned left heading cautiously down a short hallway, Lieutenant Lee covering them from behind. He stopped by a heavy worn-looking door and Thompson was immediately beside him signaling her to join them. She quickly moved over to take her place on the other side of the door, still scanning for alien threats. The Doctor opened the door and peered in.<p>

"Yep, this is it. The perfect place for the Dole to have taken refuge. Mind you, not so perfect for us, but that would be the idea wouldn't it?" The Doctor prattled on, though he was at least speaking softly. "Well off we go then. Be ready. He'll know we're on to him by now and be on the defensive."

Major Thompson grabbed the back of the Doctor's jacket and pulled him away from the open doorway, as the other man moved to head into the dark basement ahead of them. He was sure he was going to have quite a few grey hairs before this was over.

"I'm taking point this time, Doctor." Thompson remarked quietly, causing Lieutenant Lee to smile slightly, clearly amused. The Doctor turned to him, looking as if he wanted to argue, but quieted and moved to wait beside Lee as Thompson radioed for back up, before heading down the worn wooden steps into the basement. They did a careful, systematic check of the area around the staircase, knowing better than to venture too far in without reinforcements. Just when the others reached the doorway, there was a thumping sound as if the creature had brushed past and displaced one of the crates down in between a row of shelves on the other side of the basement facing the staircase.

"Did you hear that?" Lieutenant Lee whispered, already having turned to point her weapon in the direction the noise had come from. The three other soldiers were coming down the stairs to join them.

"Oh yes." The Doctor said sounding like he might be enjoying this. "There you are..."

"Reese. Campbell stay here and guard the stairs. Parker you're with us." Major Thompson ordered and they moved silently toward the source of the sound.

"Sir!" Lee exclaimed seeing a blur of movement through her infrared goggles swoop by on the other side of the shelf they were passing.

"I saw it too." Parker said in a harsh whisper. "It looks like it's getting closer."

"Of course it is. As I said, on a planet filled with humans a Timelord looks absolutely delectable."

"You what!" Lee responded sounding a little pissed now, then added a little vindictively. "Sir."

"You need to catch a wounded Dole, you need some good bait." The Doctor replied, unperturbed, calling out, "Well here I am! Come on, what are you waiting for?"

"Sir, did you know about this?" Parker asked nervously

"I should have." Lieutenant Lee grumbled bitterly. Out of the three of them, she was the only one who'd worked with the Doctor previously. It was pretty apparent she was kicking herself for not catching on sooner.

"Okay just sit tight." Major Thompson ordered, trying to calm his team. He had in fact already realized the Doctor's plan. "Let's see if we can spot him again."

There was a long, heavy silence while they all searched for any sign of the creature's location. Seconds later they heard another brush of movement and looked up just in time to see the thing speeding over the top of one of the shelves towards them. They barely had time to aim their weapons at it before it pounced on the Doctor, or would have if Lee hadn't pushed him out of the way. She fired her gun at it, but it swiped her right off her feet, throwing her into a shelf next to the Doctor. She'd managed to get it in the side, but it wasn't a direct hit. The Dole let out a high pitched hiss and ran for it, but the shot had been enough to slow its pace. The Doctor knelt down to check her for injuries. Parker and Thompson were already running after the Dole as it headed towards the stairs. Her shoulder was bleeding but at least it didn't appear to be a fatal wound.

"I'm alright Doctor. Just go catch that thing." She said as he pulled out his sonic to scan her wound.

"You didn't have to do that. You'll be alright, but you've been dosed with the paralitic. Not much but you'll have to stay seated...Thank you." The Doctor said looking into her eyes.

"Go." She replied simply.

He hesitated, but then hurried off after it. She pulled herself up into a sitting position, looking after him as long as she could. She touched her shoulder with her good arm and then punched the crate sitting next to her angrily.

"Son of a bitch!" Her shoulder was already beginning to feel numb.

The Doctor caught up just in time to see Thompson give the thing a good dose of liquid nitrogen. He joined them around the now limp insectoid killing machine. The others stayed near the body while the Major called it in.

"Don't let your guard down. The cold is only meant to slow it down. It could still be dangerous." The Doctor warned Parker and Reese as Major Thompson handed the phone over the him so he could speak with Martha. Campbell came back down.

"Sir, Lieutenant Lee is asking for you. It sounds important."

Thompson moved up the steps to see her, leaving Campbell to take over for him. The Doctor watched him go curiously before turning back to his inspection of the wounded Dole.

* * *

><p>"Sir, I need to speak with you privately while I've got the chance."<p>

Thompson nodded to the medic who had been sitting with her, and she moved away to a discreet distance.

"What's on your mind, Lieutenant?"

"Off the record sir?" Lee asked carefully. Thompson nodded and leaned in closer to her so they could speak without being overheard.

"Colonel Stone called me in to talk with him about his plans to deal with the aliens." She told him quietly, "and sir I think we may have a serious problem..."

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Consolation Chapter to make up for my lateness with the last one. I hope you enjoyed it. It is named after a line in the song 'Disgustipated' by Tool which I was listening to while writing the scene where they capture the Dole. I think it really adds to the atmosphere of the fic. Please review. i still wold love to here what you think. especially now we're getting deeper into the action of the story. I would also like to dedicate this chapter to my best friend who has been stuck in bed for a week unable to stand after a nasty crash skateboarding. It seems kinda fitting for it to be this one since Tool is her most favorite band.


	9. Alea Iacta Est

After some talking with Colonel Stone and some pushing from the Doctor, in which he strongly implied they might end up having to use Amy as part of plan B, the UNIT officer _did_ end up ordering one of his men to go fetch Jyun from his cell. He didn't seem at all happy about it though, but Amy was beginning to get the impression he was a bit of a grumpy puppy by nature. She hesitated outside the interrogation room, unsure of what it was she expected from this. After all Koschei was the shy one, so she would be meeting Jyun in there and there was no guarantee that he would have any answers for her. What if it was just some kind of strange coincidence?_~Come on Amy, don't be such a coward! Just get in there and do your best. Besides the Doctor is depending on you for back up.. Oooh! The Doctor is depending on me for back up!~_ She glanced at the metal stairs that led up to the observation room and took a steadying breath. Captain Mallory would be watching her from up there until the Doctor returned. She hoped he would be returning really soon. She opened the door and entered the interrogation room seeing Jyun was already waiting for her in his usual seat at the metal table. He was looking up at the window to the observation room with curiosity. Amy quietly moved forward to take the seat opposite him and he shifted his gaze to her. His reaction was immediate. As soon as their eyes met he stilled and his eyes opened noticeably wider, which for him was like a shout of surprise.

"You." He stated, watching her intensely."So. You are real."

Amy slowly took her seat feeling as if at some point she must have fallen into an impossibly realistic dream. She seemed to have lost her ability to speak at the moment but Jyun spoke anyway, apparently reading something in her expression.

"So is this." He assured her in a surprisingly gentle tone. "Just tell me. Who do you wish to see?"

Amy swallowed getting a hold of her wits before replying.

"Koschei, please."

He gave her the 'you're being adorable' look before obediently letting his head fall forward and a moment later Koschei was looking up at her.

"Hello, Dream-girl." He greeted her kindly. "I still can't remember for you. Sorry. I seem to have taken damage. I'll recover, eventually."

"So you _have_ been dreaming about me." Amy said, Koschei didn't seem at all surprised by her lack of recognition. "I don't remember you though, so how do you know me?"

Koschei looked both frustrated and annoyed by her question.

"Right. You don't remember." She said running a hand through her hair and Koschei tilted his head to the side in that catlike way of his, interested. "I need to get to know you Koschei. I've been helping the Doctor we're trying to protect you."

"Spies in our eyes! Listening with us." Koschei warned putting a finger to his lips "Spare your words or the monsters will steal them."

Amy nodded.

"You're absolutely right." She replied flipping her notebook open with a determined expression on her face. "Let's get lost in the woods."

Koschei smiled.

* * *

><p>The captive Dole sulked in his new prison eying the soldiers guarding it, angrily. The effects of the liquid nitrogen were beginning to wear off and his fear at being locked up was quickly becoming rage and hatred for these troublesome creatures that had trapped him. He despised the indignity of this predicament he had found himself in. The snacks had become his jailors, a fate far too humiliating for him to let go of. He could smell the delicious quarry that had started his unfortunate adventure somewhere nearby and he found himself craving, more and more, the delectable flavor of that unusually dense aura of energy the creature possessed. He could also smell the other one, not too far from the first one at all! This one smelled similar, but different, as it didn't burn nearly as brightly as the other one, but it's aura was highly charged none the less.<p>

* * *

><p>Amy had been conversing with Koschei for almost half an hour now. Which was longer than Martha had ever been able to coax out of him, and she was beginning to feel much more comfortable translating his strange speech patterns. The Doctor's voice spoke into her ear and she sat up straight hearing his tone. He didn't sound happy at all.<p>

"Amelia, come up here for a moment, please." He said feigning nonchalance but she could hear a trace of something darker underlying it.

She looked up at Koschei to see him watching her closely, apparently sensing the shift in her mood. There was apprehension in his eyes. He looked at the guard and she suddenly had the feeling she was missing something very important.

"Listen Koschei. I have to step out for a moment but I'll come right back in as soon as I can." She said pretending to look down to close her notebook while really watching Sergeant Combs out of the corner of her eye. She realized that ever since they'd began to speak he hadn't stopped staring at Koschei, and the look on his face was _not_ friendly. She suddenly really didn't want to leave the room. She heard a slight shuffling over the comm link that made her flinch and then heard Colonel Stone's voice in her ear.

"Miss Pond, get up here, now." He ordered gruffly. Thinking fast she made a show of being startled by this, jumping up and hurrying out of the room 'forgetting' her pen on the table and bumping into Combs on the way out, which distracted him briefly from Koschei. She knew it was a long shot, but she figured if it worst came to worst, she'd given Koschei something to work with. When the door swung open to the observation room she knew things were probably getting pretty bad. A sullen looking Major Thompson had opened the door for her as she reached the top stair. The Doctor was sitting in the chair next to the computer where he'd been watching the read-out on Koschei's brainwaves. He was looking up irritably at one very unhappy Colonel Stone who seemed to be going for menace now as opposed to simple dominance.

"What is it? What's going on?" Amy asked trying to seem as unthreatening as possible. She really didn't want either man's glare turned on her. _~Oh, too late. There it is.~_

"Though both of you seem to have forgotten, we are on a tight schedule. Now I hear the Doctor has no way of blocking this psychic link that the Dole seem to be using and his assistant is just hanging out with our witness while more of my people are being hospitalized running missions on _your_ intel."

"I assure you, Colonel Stone, I have not forgotten. We _are_ working on it. Unfortunately, I will not be able to block the Dole's link with Koschei before our time runs out. No trouble though; I'll think of something. I'm good at that." The Doctor concluded, unruffled.

"Then what exactly _are_ you doing, Doctor?" The Colonel persisted angrily

"Sir, we were able to subdue the injured Dole. It's in high security lock up right now." Major Thompson reported helpfully, looking tensely back and forth between his superiors .

"Call basement level. Let them know to call when the prisoner is prepped." The Colonel ordered after apparently trying and failing to stare the Doctor down.

"Yes sir." Thompson said, and with one last lingering look at the Doctor, he left.

"Doctor?" Amy questioned, looking down at Koschei through the tinted glass window only to see him looking intently back up at them, though she knew he wouldn't be able to make out much of what was going on. The pen she had slipped him had disappeared from sight.

"I have an idea how we might still be able to get information out of Koschei without severing the link," the Doctor announced, "but I don't think either of you are going to like it."

"Just tell us Doctor. I told you I'd help you with this." Amy told him eying Colonel Stone.

"So far he's been able to scramble the signal by using dissociative language and scattering his thoughts. We might be able to at least get some basic information by mimicking that in our questioning. If we can ask him simple questions, but hide them in with a number of unrelated queries, we may be able to get some information from him and still keep the Dole at bay, at least for a short period of time."

"How short a time are we talking about?" Stone asked, all business. Amy tried to ready herself for the challenge ahead of her, watching Koschei as she did her best to come to terms with it.

"I can't tell you an exact amount, but I'd estimate with a small pack already on alert, it might get you an hour at most. Koschei will be able to feel when they begin to hone in on him and let Amy know."

Captain Mallory came briskly up the stairs.

"Sir. The prisoner has regained consciousness and is prepared for questioning."

"Thank you, Captain. You are to escort the Doctor to basement level and assist in interrogation, understood?"

"Yes sir."

Amy headed down the steps a couple paces ahead of the others while the Doctor and Colonel Stone talked.

"Amy," the Doctor called, pulling her aside just outside the door to the interrogation room. "You can't let Koschei in on what we're up to. Just go in there and talk with him as you were before. I'll give you a sign when it's time to begin, but just keep working on developing a rapport with him for now. Okay?"

"Okay." Amy replied. "And Doctor - be careful. Somehow I don't think you've made an ally out of Colonel Stone back there."

"Same to you." The Doctor cautioned before he hurried off on his way to see the captured Dole.


	10. Fight or Flight

Amy was sitting across from Koschei, talking to him calmly, and doing her best to get to know him as well as she could while she had the chance. The Doctor had been right, though. She had found she really did like him. Even with the added pressure of having to use this unusual code, he did his best to look after her throughout, throwing in a few jokes to lighten the mood. He seemed to be fond of her and she found herself hoping that after this was all over, they might have a chance at becoming friends. Major Thompson's voice came over the comm, giving her a heads up that it was almost time to begin. A few minutes later Martha walked in and quietly slipped her a pile of white index cards. She studied them as Martha left, noticing the random questions written on them in the Doctor's handwriting. Some simply had a large question mark on them. She realized that these signified opportunities to ask about the Dole. Colonel Stone's impatient tone crackled in her ear.

"The clock is ticking, Miss Pond. I suggest you get started."

"Now, we're going to do a little exercise." Amy said, shuffling the cards as the alien tilted his head to one side with interest. "I'm going to ask you some questions, and I want you just to answer them as they come. Just follow my lead... and Koschei, I'm going to need you to trust me. Okay?"

He nodded. She picked up the first card and smiled.

"Good." She said, somewhat relieved that the first question would be a fairly simple one. "Have you ever been married?"

"Twice." He said, smiling back at her. She raised her eyebrows at this, tempted to be nosy and ask him to whom, but stuck to the cards.

"If you had to choose two friends to be standed with on a- _really _Doctor?" Amy broke into her own question incredulously. Koschei giggled.

"You and the Doctor." He answered sweetly.

"Oh, thank you." Amy said, then sighed feeling a little guilty as she saw the next card "How many of the Dole did you see in the alley?"

"Five." He replied obediently but she could see his expression dropping.

"Trust me." She repeated, her expression apologetic "Now..What is your favorite color?"

* * *

><p>The Dole shifted angrily about in his small cell as the Doctor and Captain Mallory were led to stand just on the other side of the reinforced plexiglass barrier. It turned, swiftly, moving up close to face the Doctor as he neared. Mallory moved a little closer to the Doctor as he did this, but the Doctor seemed unaffected by the sudden movement.<p>

"It's alright. He's just reacting to my body's EM field - to be expected. He can't do anything to us from in there. Can you?" The Doctor said calmly. The Dole hissed. "Yes, I know, but you haven't been behaving very well yourself. Hunting down all those innocent humans. Why? What are you all doing here? It's unheard of for you to come this far away from home."

The Dole responded with another series of hisses and clicks that Captain Mallory couldn't make heads or tails of, but the Doctor seemed to understand just fine.

"Sir?" Mallory asked "You know what it's saying?"

"Yes." The Doctor answered, tearing his gaze away from the Dole for a moment to study Mallory with a quizzical expression. But then he simply turned back to continue speaking with the Dole. "What? What was it? I understand that it was important... No, I didn't... Listen to me... I know it seems that way, but I will stop them... I can. Because it's what I do. I'm the Doctor."

The Dole quieted. Mallory looked from one alien to the other, trying to grasp what exactly was happening between them. He could tell that whatever they were talking about, it was incredibly significant.

The Dole began to hiss and click again. The Doctor began to pace. Whatever the Dole was telling him was obviously having quite an effect on him. A fact that disturbed the young Captain greatly. He had heard of the Doctor a few times from Lieutenant Lee and others who had worked with him, and he knew that if something was bad enough to disturb the Doctor this much, it had to be pretty damn nasty.

"Sir. What's going-" He began but the Doctor cut him off.

"Quiet. I'm thinking."

The monster in the cell leaned forward, seeming to enunciate whatever it was saying now even more clearly, appearing to Mallory to be doing it's species version of a leer, or as close as a giant cricket/preying mantis looking thing could actually come to leering.

"No." The Doctor said, looking straight up into the creatures eyes, his face stony. He suddenly looked all his nine hundred and seven years of age. "You didn't. You shouldn't."

The creature hissed, but it seemed to be a little less sure of itself now that it was pinned under the Doctor's stare.

"If anything happens to them..." The Doctor said menacingly. The creature replied with a whistling hiss.

"Sir, what is it?" Captain Mallory asked, but the Doctor was already hurrying past him back the way they'd come.

"We need to go, now!"

* * *

><p>Amy was still doing her best, but as the questions had gotten more complex, so had Koschei's responses. Furthermore, the Colonel's impatient interjections into the comm in her ear were not helping her to handle the added stress one bit, though she could hear Martha and Major Thompson doing their best to stop him. To make things worse, after the second time she'd jumped at the Colonel's interruption Koschei had started to realize that something was up, and was beginning to feel strain on her behalf, which led to longer pauses before his replies. By now he was clearly quite agitated, and with the disturbing theme she'd noticed in Stone's interjections, Amy began to worry that she might not be able to shield Koshei from his impatient accusations for much longer. She'd been acting as a buffer between them for a while now, and the added stress was making it harder for her to keep up with Koschei's coded phrases. She also knew that they couldn't afford to slow their pace any further without risking being discovered by the Dole.<p>

"Do you know what killed the Dole?" She asked, her brown eyes locked with Koshei's amber orbs.

"Transition. Minds. Master fights...The light was too much. He knows some and I do. We were together. Not supposed to be together. Doesn't happen." Koschei replied, his breathing growing more unsteady.

"The light? I need more. You were attacked during nighttime." Amy asked, leaning a little closer.

"No..." Koschei replied, truly apologetic "I can't."

"Koschei?" Amy asked worriedly, as he leaned forward against the table, ignoring Colonel Stone as he barked into her ear. There was a shuffling going on upstairs and she heard Martha calling out but she couldn't make out what she'd said.

"Sorry, Little Darling. My time is up." He said, looking at her sadly. She could see he was in pain. She reached over the table to touch his chained hands, then jumped when Colonel Stone came bursting in angrily. He looked terrifying, but she stood to intercept him anyway. She saw his eyes looked darker, and realised that his pupils were now dilated. _~That can't be good, but what is at this point?~_

"We are far too close to let you back down now!" He roared "I want answers and you're going to give them to me!"

Amy heard Major Thompson hurrying toward them down the metal stairs. Colonel Stone moved to push past her but she bravely stood her ground.

"What are you going to do? You can't force him. They'll come after him." Amy said, looking down in time to see his hands become fists. "You'll lead them right to him!"

"Sergeant, seal that door." Stone ordered, and to her horror Combs immediately complied, locking Major Thompson out just as he reached the door. "Step away Miss Pond."

"No." Amy told him stubbornly, trying to sound a lot braver than she really felt. He grabbed her arm and forced her out of the way. She struggled to stop him but he was a lot bigger and stronger than she was. "Don't do this."

"Human lives are at stake." He said, as he grabbed Koschei's weakened form by the back of his neck."You are going to tell me whether you want to or not."

"You wouldn't." Amy muttered in disbelief as she realized the Colonel's plan. "Oh God. You would!"

She looked from Colonel Stone to Koschei's smaller form as he stared stubbornly up at the man threatening him.

"Start talking." The larger man growled menacingly. Koschei, surprisingly, growled right back although his sounded a bit less human. Colonel Stone pulled him up by the back of his collar, knocking his chair over and slammed him down into the tabletop.

"No!" Amy cried and lunged forward, trying to pull Colonel Stone off his defenseless victim. She heard Thompson banging on the door trying to get in. He only let go of Koschei long enough to throw her off. She hit the concrete wall and lost her footing but determinedly rolled right back up onto her feet, darting forward to try and stop him again.

"Restrain her." Stone ordered, adding warningly as Combs yanked Amy back, "You'd better start talking."

"Fuck you!" Koschei yelled and was immediately slammed down again.

"No, stop _him_! Why aren't you doing something?" Amy cried out, glaring up at the Sergeant, and feeling her blood run cold as she realised that his eyes were strangely dilated too. Koschei locked eyes with her, his eyelids beginning to droop, and then she watched him go limp. For one terrible moment she couldn't see if he was still breathing. "Koschei? I'm sorry.."

"Oh no you don't. You won't get away that easily." Stone threatened, leaning against the table to speak right into his ear. He tightened his grip on the back of Koschei's neck and began to pull him back up, but suddenly he seemed to be met with a stronger resistance. Bright golden eyes snapped back open and a cold, menacing voice answered.

"Big mistake. Now you have to deal with me." Stone moved to strike, but as he did, the smaller man pressed his now uncuffed hands flat against the table. A lightning-like charge spread through the metal, throwing his attacker back into the wall. Combs went for his gun, and seeing him aim it at the Timelord's chest snapped Amy back to reality. She used the opportunity to wriggle out of his grasp and slide across the table.

"You're the Master then." She said, pulling him behind her quickly to block Combs from getting a clear shot, and felt the Master lean heavily against her back, holding onto her for support. He was looking really drained, as if the bolt of energy had taken the last of his strength. His lip was split and he had blood trickling down the right side of his face.

"And you're Amy. Quite the spitfire aren't we. Thanks for the pen." He responded, sounding casual, though she got the impression that he was just playing tough. She could feel his hearts beating pretty fast. Thankfully that was when the lock sparked in the door and the Doctor and Major Thompson burst in.

"Stand down!" Major Thompson ordered. Combs faltered. "_Now_, Sergeant!"

The Doctor rushed over to Amy's side. She turned around and slipped an arm around the Master to help him stand.

"You didn't." The Doctor said, seeing Stone lying on the floor

"He'll be fine." The Master said dismissively, stumbling to one side "Unfortunately."

"Doctor!" Amy called out, doing her best to slow the Master's fall as he collapsed into her arms.


	11. In Dreams We Meet

This was getting very nasty. There was no doubt about that. The Doctor was in the hallway outside the medical ward, fuming. Major Thompson and Captain Mallory were leaning against a wall watching him, neither man quite courageous enough to try to draw his attention yet. His childhood friend and the only other surviving member of his species was lying unconscious in a medical bed with a very rattled Amy waiting at his bedside. His attackers were in the ward as well, being treated for adrenalin poisoning caused by the alien technology the Doctor was sure they had stolen. He wasn't sure who he could trust anymore other than Amy and Koschei, because he _was_ going to wake up, because he just _had_ to. He had one hour and twenty minutes to fix this and almost nothing to work with. Less than he'd actually started with, and he was feeling the effects of the stolen device himself. .

"He'll pull through, Doctor. He's tough." Major Thompson reassured him, breaking the heavy silence. The Doctor showed no sign that he'd heard him. They went back to watching him quietly for a couple minutes.

"The Dole told you about the device didn't it, sir? That's why you left containment in such a hurry." Captain Mallory asked carefully. "Why didn't you tell me what it was saying?"

"Because the TARDIS wasn't translating for you and clearly trusting humans isn't working too well for me right now, is it?" The Doctor snapped, causing them to flinch. He immediately stopped pacing and tried to get ahold of himself. "Sorry. I didn't mean that. It's the adrenaline I..."

"I'm sorry. I failed you. If I had reacted more quickly, I might have been able to protect them." Major Thompson said humbly. "Lieutenant Lee warned me that the Colonel seemed intent to kill the Dole. I should have known he was up to something."

"No, don't do that. You tried to stop him. That means something. There's no sense in worrying about could-have-beens." The Doctor told him.

"What do we do now?" Captain Mallory asked.

"We need to find a way to bring them out into the open so I can try to speak with them about returning their stolen technology, and put an end to this...but using me as bait wouldn't be enough to draw out the entire pack." The Doctor went back to pacing as he thought about this. Neither of the UNIT officers he was talking to seemed thrilled with this line of thinking. "Come on. Think! How do I get their attention?"

* * *

><p><em>The Master walked unhurriedly through the twilight of the dreamscape. Right now it was taking on the form of the forest of silver-trunked trees that had stood on the edge of his father's estate. The red leaves rustled in the non-existent breeze. There were no stars in the black sky and no moons, just the planet Earth sitting solitary in the night in place of a moon. It had been there ever since Amy began haunting his dreams. He was headed toward the clearing that Koschei and Theta used to sneak off to to avoid the prying eyes of the others. He knew that was where Jyun and Koschei would already be waiting for him.<em>

_"Took you long enough." Koschei said as the Master joined them in the clearing. This time he was sitting on one of the lower hanging branches of the tree across from the Master, wearing his old black and violet silk robes from their adolescence. Jyun was sitting a little over a meter to Koschei's left on the boulder next to the brook, looking pretty much as blank as he always did. He was toying with the currents with his bare feet. The Master wasn't thrilled to note that he was still wearing the navy-blue prisoner's jumpsuit. He was sure Jyun had done that just to bug him._

_"You're suddenly very eager to see me aren't you Kos." The Master noted mockingly, walking over to lean against a tree to his right. Jyun looked back over his shoulder at him, weighing the pros and cons of splashing the other alter._

_"You don't get to call me that." Koschei shot back bitterly. He pulled a leaf off of the branch next to him and toyed with it in his fingers, his bright eyes reflecting the earthlight as he scowled down at the Master._

_"Focus." Jyun reminded the others gently, still seeming more interested in the water in his little brook. The Master straightened his already imaculate red silk tie._

_"The Dole will be onto us soon, regardless of the Doctor's latest tactic. That idiot ape Stone made sure of that." He stated bitterly._

_"That is the least of our problems." Koschei countered. "The Doctor will find a way to handle the Dole. We just have to trust him. I just hope you haven't burned all our bridges now with your little pyrotechnics display back there - or have you forgotten how important it is that we be allowed back into the TARDIS?"_

_"Yes, of course. I should have just sat back and let you handle it all, because you were doing so very well on your own." The Master replied sarcastically. "Besides, the girl still stood with us, even after what she'd just witnessed. I'd take that as a promising sign for our future."_

_"You would." Jyun noted, not looking up from the water._

_"It is good that Amy hasn't lost faith in us because of you. We still need to stay with her." Koschei agreed. The others nodded, although the Master seemed less than thrilled with the idea_

_"She's important." He admitted begrudgingly, making an icky noise at the thought of attaching himself to one of the Doctor's human pets. At which point Jyun decided that it was definitely necessary to splash him, expertly drenching his very expensive looking suit. "Gah! Dammit, Jyun!"_

_Koschei was quite amused at the Master's expense and jumped down from his tree branch, laughing gleefully and clapping._

_"You deserved it." Jyun stated simply to the Master who glared and sparked at him._

_"You were being an ass." Koschei added, still grinning broadly. The Master shook himself off and the suit changed into a new, dry one. "Besides I believe I've just come up with a way to solve our problems and score some points back with the Doctor as well."_

_Both alters turned to Koschei, listening intently._

* * *

><p>Amy was sitting in a folding chair beside Koschei's bed in Medical watching the Doctor pace back and forth outside in the hallway while he and Major Thompson talked over their situation. Captain Mallory had been called away a little while ago. It turned out the sleeping Timelord wasn't as badly off as they'd first feared. His injuries were no fun to look at, but were minor, mostly bumps and bruises. He had apparently collapsed due to exhaustion and minor malnutition. There was an IV in his arm to help with his low electrolyte levels and low blood sugar. She heard a deep inhalation of breath from the bed next to her and looked over at the injured alien to see amber eyes blinking up at her.<p>

"You're awake!" She exclaimed, feeling relieved, and turned away to call out. "Doctor! He's woken up!"

The Doctor quickly came over to join her at the Master's bedside with Thompson following close behind.

"Doctor." The Master gave the obligatory greeting.

"Master." The Doctor responded as he always did. "How are you feeling?"

The Master made a face.

"Please Doctor." He sneered. "Let's not waste time, shall we? The Dole will be hunting soon. I imagine that remains a significant deadline. I have a proposal."

"No." The Doctor replied immediately. The Master frowned at him.

"Listen first." He replied irritably.

"I'll handle it." The Doctor persisted. The Master scoffed."I'm working on it. I'll think of something. It's what I do."

"No. You've got nothing and I"m willing to help you. It's awkward I admit, but you need me." The Master argued. "You need help drawing out the Dole. I can do that."

"Definitely not."

"I won't be as energetic as usual, but channelling current doesn't really deter navitavores anyway. It's a perfectly reasonable starting point." The Master continued, ignoring the Doctor's denial.

"Not happening."

"What's your plan then Doctor?" The Master challenged as the Doctor frowned stubbornly down at him. "As touching as your concern for my safety may be, my plan is both practical and effective."

"I don't have one but I'll improvise. I'm good at that. You'll just have to trust my judgment on this."

"Bow-tie..."

"Bow-ties are cool!" The Doctor shot back defensively. The Master and Amy shared a look. Thompson suddenly found the wall to the Master's right extremely interesting. "What?"

"You're not making a very convincing argument for your judgment, Doctor." The Master told him. "Though it is definitely better than your decorative vegetable phase."

"No! Did he really?" Amy exclaimed. The Master nodded, smirking.

"That was a long time ago!" The Doctor protested as Amy and the Master snickered. "It's still too risky letting you out in the open."

The Master glared darkly at him and the argument continued on for a while in a harsh exchange of High Gallifreyan. Eventually, it ended with a victorious grin from the Master.

"I'm in control though. You'll follow my lead." The Doctor added in English. The Master's smile barely faltered...

* * *

><p>Roughly half an hour later, the Master was sitting against the wall on one side of the alley, watching the Doctor move around restlessly as they waited for the UNIT personnel in the van a little ways away from them to give them the green light. Amy, Martha, Major Thompson and Lieutenent Lee were in the back of that van, where they would be monitoring the Master's vitals and watching the alley through the CCTV cameras - plus a few they had added in order to cover the blind spots before the two Timelords had arrived. Captain Mallory and a couple others were hidden in strategic locations along the street on the opposite end of the alley.<p>

"Nervous Doctor?" The Master finally asked, tucking his hands into the pocket of the brown hoodie UNIT had supplied for warmth."Honestly I'm a little offended."

"Hmm?" The Doctor hummed distractedly, looking down at the Master. "Oh, no. It's not that. _You_ used to make me nervous. I'm not nervous now. No, don't be ridiculous. Just... should have gone with my plan that's all."

The Master narrowed his eyes at the Doctor, their felinesque reflective quality causing them to glow a greenish color. He stood to face the Doctor, brushing the dirt off his jeans.

"You're worried about me." The Master observed studying the Doctor's face. Then he rolled his neck, making it pop loudly. "Now I am _really_ offended!"

"Don't start this now. You yourself admitted you weren't at your full strength!" The Doctor defended.

"Oh yes, thank you, Doctor. Naturally that means I need _your _protection." The Master replied sarcastically, prodding the Doctor's chest with his finger. "Your condescension is mindboggling, as always."

"Then your mind is easily boggled. If you haven't noticed - which you've apparently been too self-involved to do, as usual-"

"Oi! Boys! You're both just lovely. Now, let's try to focus on what we're supposed to be doing here, shall we?" Amy cut in forcefully over the comms.

The Doctor and the Master stared at each other silently for another moment.

"We're ready for you to begin with with the transition." Major Thompson informed them. The Master sighed and then his breathing changed to that strange, shallow, uneven breathing and his head fell forward as he transitioned. The Doctor caught him as he suddenly went limp, wrapping his arms tightly around his friend's waist to support him. Koschei reached up and patted his shoulder.

"It's alright, Theta. I'm just feeling a little tired but I can manage."

The Doctor let go hesitantly, keeping a careful eye on the other Timelord, just in case.

"Are you sure about this?" The Doctor asked, and Koschei nodded, smiling reasuringly at him. He reached for the Doctor's hand and pulled him closer.

"You want to know what happened here, don't you?" Koschei asked. The Doctor nodded and Koschei reached up, putting a hand to the back of the Doctor's head and pulling down gently to rest the Doctor's forehead against his.

"I'll show you." He whispered and their eyes fell shut.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Yeah I know, kind of an annoying finish for the chapter but it had to be done. Anyway, it's longer than it's predecessors, so hopefully you'll forgive me. Thanks again to all of you who are reading this, and an extra-special thank you to Jim Moriarty who actually reviewed! Seriously, any reviews are helpful to me and may actually speed up my updates. A little. Not trying to be pushy, but it's true. I crave feedback. Oh and just a fun fact for anyone who actually cares: The whole scene with the three alternate personalities meeting in the dreamscape was actually the first scene I ever wrote. It was a random idea that came to me when I was going to sleep one night and was pretty much the main cause for this fic. I was so psyched that I finally got to use it in the story. Ok this note is now ridiculously long, sorry. I'll just shut up now...


	12. The Return of the Master

_The Doctor opened his eyes in the Dreamscape, feeling the cold rain pouring down on him. He heard rapid footfalls behind him and turned around just in time to see Koschei running past him and disappearing into the alley on the left. The Doctor followed him and saw two Dole land in front of Koschei as he caught up. He moved to stand at Koschei's side as Koschei looked behind him and saw three more Dole moving to block off his retreat._

_"No..." He heard Koschei mutter, clearly panicked " Nonono..."_

_The Dole in front of them began to creep closer. Koschei's head fell forward and the Doctor realized that he was transitioning. The Dole closest to them pounced._

_"Koschei!" The Doctor cried out, reflexively taking a step forward to shield him even though he knew this was a memory and there was nothing he could do to stop it. The Dole flew right through him like a ghost and landed on Koschei who collapsed like a rag doll, still in mid-transition. The Dole raked one of its forelegs down his back, leaving a bloody gash. The Master's eyes snapped open and he let out a feral cry of pain and fury. ~No. Not the Master. It's both of them.~ The Dole stumbled and tried to regain their telepathic hold on their prey. Electricity danced over the Master-Koschei's body before building to a bright white pulse of lightning-like energy that surged out of him, spreading through the alley and engulfing the Dole. Koschei receded as the Master took full control, violently severing the forced link with his attackers. The two Dole closest to him dropped dead from the shock of it. One of the Dole behind him hissed and darted towards him, enraged, as he tried to push the dead Dole off of him. It stabbed him straight through the shoulder. Another leapt over them, eager to join in, and the Master pushed himself up as far off the ground as he could, grunting in pain, and stared into the creature's eyes. The Dole he had hypnotized then lashed out at its brother, effectively fighting it off of him and causing the three surviving Dole to fight amongst themselves as the Master collapsed into a puddle, coughing and eventually losing consciousness as he heard the sound of sirens coming closer..._

The Doctor gasped as he opened his eyes and Koschei pulled away from him letting go of the back of his neck.

"Oh, Koschei..." The Doctor exclaimed grabbing Koschei's forearms and pulling him into a tight hug.

"Hey. Shhhh. It's okay, it was just a memory." Koschei reasured him, rubbing his back. The Doctor laughed, incredulously, and opened his mouth to reply when Amy's voice came over their comms.

"Hey guys, watch out! You've got company." She warned.

"How many?" The Doctor said putting a hand to his earpiece. His other hand rested on Koschei's shoulder.

"I can't give you a definite answer." Major Thompson replied. "But according to what we could catch on the cameras, I'd say at least -"

"Three." Koschei said, looking at something over the Doctor's shoulder. The Doctor spun to face the three dark shapes climbing towards them across the alley wall.

"Alright, hold on." He called to them in a commanding voice. "Just wait a moment. Hear me out."

The Dole leapt off the wall to land in the alley a few meters in front of them. The Doctor moved so that he was still standing in between Koschei and the Dole.

"Why should we listen to you, Morsel?" The Dole in the center hissed.

"Because I know why you're trapped here on this planet." The Doctor explained. "I know about the stolen Colligo Device and we've called you here because we want to discuss returning it to you."

The Dole looked at each other, mulling this over.

"It was your allies that took it from us. What assurances do we have that this is not some Terran deception?" The Dole responded suspiciously.

"Well for one thing neither of us is actually Terran, which frankly should be quite obvious to you by now." Koschei replied, leaning his chin on the Doctor's shoulder rather casually and looking annoyingly relaxed about this whole encounter.

"Okay, not helping." The Doctor told him, clearly not feeling as relaxed about this as his counterpart, for once, and not enjoying the reversal. Koschei sighed and continued more respectfully.

"We didn't know they had taken it. They broke their own laws and betrayed the rest of us when they did. The only time we ever acted against you we did so in self-defense."

"Once we've returned your device to you I strongly advise you leave this planet. You'll all be free to go as long as you'll leave us in peace." The Doctor added. The Dole paused again to consider. The Doctor didn't like the way that two of them were still eying Koschei hungrily. Both Timelords flinched as the comm crackled loudly and then rang in their ears.

Koschei turned away from the Doctor, pulling out his earpiece and saw another Dole creeping up on them along the wall pretty close above him. _~Oh fuck! I could probably reach out and touch the damn thing.~_

"I believe you over-estimate your advantage in this situation." The Dole they'd been speaking with stated in a predatory tone.

* * *

><p>In the back of the large, black van, Amy let out an unhappy sound and pulled off her headset. The comms had just failed. As the others struggled to fix the problem with the comms, Amy looked fleetingly over at the screen showing the feed from the camera in the alley. She did a double-take as she realized what she'd just seen.<p>

"Shit!" She exclaimed and hurried out of the van. She didn't really know what she could do to help them yet, but she knew that she couldn't do much from in there. Major Thompson hurried after her as the others looked over at the screen to see what had set her off.

"Miss Pond!" He called after her ."Where do you think you're going? We're under strict orders to keep our distance."

"Go on then. Good luck with that." She called back, not stopping. "I'm going to see if I can help."

"I can't let you do that. We need to keep back and re-establish contact as orders dictate."

"Correction. _You_ have to keep your distance and follow orders. _I _have to catch up with the Doctor." Amy replied willfully. The Major paused for a minute, weighing his options before turning back to the others.

"Lieutenant-" He began.

"Yes sir." Lee said, grabbing a nitrogen weapon, and the rest of the Dole fighting gear she had tucked under her, and hopping out of the van. Major Thompson raised his eyebrows at her quick response, but stepped out of the way to let her by. Lee quickly jogged to catch up with Amy, tossing her an earpiece which she pocketed.

"Right. Reach the Doctor. I think we can manage that. We'll need to avoid engaging the Dole as much as possible." Lee said easily, slipping on her goggles "I've only got two shots."

* * *

><p>The Doctor and Koschei ran down the street. Koschei was tiring quickly and the Doctor was pulling him along by his arm as he began to slow down. The Dole were in hot pursuit. Both Timelords could feel them coming closer but they were not in view, at least, not yet.<p>

"Theta, I'm sorry. I can't keep up!" Koschei panted/ "You're going to have to leave me."

"Not happening." The Doctor responded adamantly.

"It's me that they're tracking. I need at least to stop in order to transition and you can't afford-"

"Koschei! Stop it. Just trust me, alright? I'm not letting us be separated again!" The Doctor said cutting him off. "Don't worry I've got a plan."

"You've got a plan?"

"Ish."

They reached a line of cars and the Doctor walked quickly past a few, letting Koschei catch up to him. He pulled his sonic screwdriver out of his pocket as Koschei came up beside him looking back over his shoulder..

"Doctor, what-Oof!" Koschei began to ask as the Doctor grabbed the front of his hoodie, threw him down onto the ground in between two of the cars, and landed on top of him, knocking the air right out of his lungs. A Dole dropped off one of the buildings down the street and sped towards them. Koschei began to open his eyes, but the Doctor covered them with the hand not holding his sonic.

"No. We can't let them see where we are." He whispered. "Just trust me... Oh and sorry. This next bit is going to be unpleasant."

"'-_Gh-going _to be?'" Koschei coughed.

With that the Doctor reached up with his sonic screwdriver set on high frequency and triggered a power surge in the area around them, momentarily confusing the Dole's senses and surrounding them in one big chaotic mess of sound and light and bursting fuses. One of the headlights on the car they were hiding behind burst, and he quickly ducked down to shield Koschei, then pushed himself back up again to look at Koschei's face. His eyes were sliding shut, and a moment later the Doctor felt him go limp as he transitioned. He touched his old friend's cheek, watching as his breathing slipped into that strange but familiar pattern. He knew even after the transition, his friend would be drained and exhausted. It was only a matter of time before the smaller man would simply collapse again. The Doctor had to get him out of here, and quickly.

* * *

><p>"Okay Doctor, Where have you run off to?" Amy muttered to herself as she and Lieutenant Lee moved quickly down the street in the direction they'd last seen the Doctor and Koschei heading on the CCTV cameras. Luckily they hadn't run into any Dole just yet. A mixed blessing since the Dole were after the same people that they were trying to track down.<p>

"I'm sorry Ma'am. It doesn't look like we're likely to find him without comms." Lee had been scanning a nearby alley for potential threats, but turned now to face the younger woman."Perhaps we should turn back. They could have left the street somewhere and we just walked past it."

Seconds later they heard a ruckus from somewhere to their right. The two women exchanged a look, then ran down the alley toward the source of the noise.

* * *

><p>The Doctor felt his sonic heating up and turned it off, putting it back in his pocket to cool as the Master opened his eyes. The Master looked up at him. Then looked over their bodies, raising an eyebrow.<p>

"Doctor, you seem to be lying on top of me. Tell me, did I miss something fun?" The Doctor rolled his eyes, beginning to push himself up, but dropped back down as he heard the sound of a Dole landing on top of the car they were using for shelter. For a minute the street was eerily silent. The only sounds were those of the two Timelords breathing and the occasional light sounds of movement coming from on top of the car. Suddenly the Master rolled them to one side as the Dole stabbed down at them with one of its blade-like legs. The creature hissed ferociously as it missed his shoulder, hitting pavement instead. It swiped down towards them again, and they quickly rolled out of the way once more. On the third swipe, the Dole's blade came far too close to the Doctor's face, missing it by only slightly more than a centimeter.


	13. Changing Plans and A Strange Term

On the third swipe the Dole's blade came far too close to the Doctor's face, missing it by only slightly more than a centimeter. The Master lost his patience reaching his arms up around the Doctor's sides and sending a bolt of energy at the offending Dole, not injuring it, but causing it to lose balance and fall off of the car.

"Oooh - That felt weird." The Doctor commented as he pushed himself off of the Master and shuffled around to the opposite side of the car from their attacker. The Master followed close behind him.

"Did it?" He asked straightening his hoodie as if they were not still in mortal danger. "Was it a good weird or a bad weird?"

The Dole hissed, getting back up off the ground. The Doctor and the Master backed up a couple of steps. The Master stumbled a little, having been drained by the effort of sending out another bolt. The Doctor grabbed his arm to help him and the Master glared at him but didn't pull away. The Dole jumped back up onto the car and they darted back. Out of the corner of his eye the Doctor noticed movement near the alley next to the building the Dole had dropped from. The Dole dove off the car toward them and swiped at the Master, causing him to lose his footing. The Doctor caught him before he could hit his head on the asphalt.

"Stop. Just listen. You're making a big mistake." The Doctor warned. The Master grinned, looking at something behind and to the left of the alien hunter. The Dole just hissed again and crouched as if to pounce but instead it was suddenly doused with liquid nitrogen by Lieutenant Lee, who had crept up behind it. After the Dole was stunned, Amy hurried out from behind the car to meet the Doctor and Master.

"Doctor!" She said pulling him into a hug as the Master gracefully lept out of reach, aparently averse to the whole hugging concept. "Ha! I knew I'd find you!"

"Mmm, and so you did." The Doctor replied returning the hug fondly. "What's been happening on your end?"

"There's some sort of jamming signal disrupting our equipment. Major Thompson and Dr. Jones are working to rectify it." Lieutenant Lee reported. The Doctor nodded, looking at the Master.

"To the van then." The Master said.

"To the van." The Doctor agreed and they hurried back towards their new destination. Unfortunately, when they were about half way there the Master suddenly dropped down into a sitting position on the cold ground. He was out of breath, and when she caught his arm to slow his fall, Lieutenant Lee realized that he was shaking.

"Sir!" She hadn't really needed to shout. The Doctor was already heading towards them. He dropped down to the Master's level and tilted his face up to check his eyes.

"Just give me a moment.." The Master mumbled weakly "I just need to rest."

"You're suffering from acute exhaustion. If you try to get back up you'll just collapse." The Doctor replied. The Master made a frustrated sound in response as Amy walked over to stand beside them.

"Doctor!" She exclaimed as two black shapes came into view on the top of a roof close by, moving towards them quickly.

"I'm sorry." The Doctor said decisively and scooped the Master up off the ground. The Master grimaced and fought him but he was too weak at that point really to do much.

"I hate you." He stated bitterly.

"I know." The Doctor replied, soothingly.

* * *

><p>Back in the van Martha and Major Thompson had managed to contact Thompson's team, excluding Lieutenant Lee. It seemed to them that the jamming signal was somehow singling out the Doctor, Koschei and anyone they were with. The price of regaining contact with the other UNIT soldiers, however, had been disruption of the footage they were getting from the CCTV cameras, so they both were a little startled when they heard Amy run up and bang on the back door of the van.<p>

"What the hell?" Thompson asked.

"Hey it's us! Let us in quick! They're coming!" Amy yelled continuing to pound on the back doors. Martha quickly did as the young Scot had asked, and saw the Doctor was carrying a pale, limp form in his arms with Lee bringing up their tail, pointing her gun up at the three Dole chasing after them. Amy hopped in beside her as Thompson lept out to help the Lieutenant hold off their pursuers, handing her a new nitrogen weapon. The Doctor quickly passed Koschei's unconscious body over to the two women and turned back to Thompson and Lee as they sprayed two Dole in the face with their weapons.

"We need to get in contact with the others." The Doctor said.

"We managed to regain contact with them." Martha explained as she checked over Koschei. Luckily he didn't appear to be injured just drained once again. Amy moved over to reclaim her seat in front of the equipment and set about contacting Captain Mallory as the Doctor jumped into the van. "Captain Mallory... Yes we're all fine- mostly. Here the Doctor wants to speak with you."

Amy pulled off the headset and gave it to the Doctor.

"Captain Mallory...yes, you too... Listen the Dole are on the hunt again, so it's time for plan B. Capture as many of the Dole as you can. You know the rest. Just like we discussed...Me? I'm off to meet the queen." The Doctor said, sounding excited again at the last bit.

As they reached the UNIT facility, Martha and two nurses pulled Koschei out of the back to take to UNIT medical. Amy leapt out of the back as well and ran up to accompany the Doctor.

"How do we find the queen then?" She asked as she reached his side and they stepped into the elevator.

"It'll be dangerous. She won't be very happy to have company." The Doctor warned her.

"Yes, I know, which is exactly why I'm coming. You'll need someone to look after you. An assistant perhaps." Amy said.

"I will be bringing backup, but it will be still be very dangerous. It might be safer if you stay here."

"How will we find her?" Amy said, ignoring his suggestion. He waited, thinking it over, and when the lift doors opened he replied as they stepped out.

"I scanned the comm system back in the van. The jamming signal is pretty steady. We can just follow it to her hideout..." The Doctor stopped walking with a thoughtful expression on his face. Amy had to stop and walk back over to him, not having noticed his abrupt halt fast enough.

"What is it Doctor?"

"That's a strange term isn't it? Hideout? I mean you're hiding_ in _the place, not _out_. If you were out you wouldn't really be hiding, would you?" He explained reflectively. Amy smiled fondly at him and shrugged.

"I guess you've got a point. You said you'd be bringing backup though and Thompson's team is all busy capturing the Dole hunters. So who exactly is coming with us?" Amy asked as they turned the corner into the hallway where the TARDIS was parked.

"Martha called an old friend." The Doctor told her. There was a man waiting for them, leaning against the TARDIS, already equipped with Dole hunting gear. He smiled at them as they turned the corner. "Mickey Smith! Good to see you!"

Mickey stood as they walked up to him and carefully accepted a hug from the Doctor.

"You too, Doctor." He replied. "Look at you. You've gone and changed your face again."

"Oh yes, the regeneration...well that's a long story for another time." The Doctor said as they entered the TARDIS. Amy poked him. "And this is Amy Pond."

"Nice to meet you." Mickey told her, shaking her hand.

"Come on, let's get going. Time to see the queen." The Doctor said, moving around the controls, preparing for takeoff. "Ready?"

They both nodded, Amy grabbing the console. Mickey held onto the railing behind him.

"Geronimo." The Doctor said, happily flipping the last lever, and the TARDIS took off.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Um...Yeah... The end of this chapter turned out a bit camp, sorry. The next one will be better. I just couldn't quite manage this one. I don't know why. To tell you the truth I'm not really much of a Mickey fan but it seemed like a good fit since we know he and Martha are working together now. Thank you Jim Moriarty for reviewing. Thank you to those who alerted my story, and thank all of you reading who are reading this story. Please review. Oh, please do.


	14. The Queen in Her Hive

The queen was very unhappy. The rest of her pack were going silent one by one. The snacks were chilling them. Not giving them the dignity of a quick death, but putting them to sleep, and locking them away for - who knows what injustice these Terran beasts had in store? She had once again lost track of their troublesome prey, and the other one, the one whom they called the Doctor, had somehow suddenly vanished completely. She turned, hearing a loud, repetitive, wheezing sound coming from somewhere nearby, and after it stopped, she sensed the presence of the Doctor suddenly popping into existence close-by, joined almost immediately by two Terrans. They came gradually closer, apparently attempting to be stealthy. She waited until they came into view, and then she climbed quietly, with inhuman speed up the wall to begin her hunt. They didn't know what they were in for. She would feast.

* * *

><p>The Doctor, Amy and Mickey walked as quietly and carefully as they could through the strange subterranean lair the Dole had prepared for themselves. It was hot and dark and Amy could see steam drifting over the concrete walls, though she felt this place seemed much more like an oven than a sauna. Worse, the steam was interfering with their infrared goggles. <em>~After this he'd better take us someplace really nice to make up for all this. A nice vacation planet of some sort, or maybe Rio. I wonder if Koschei would like Rio. He's really pale though. The sun might be a bit too much for him.~<em> The Doctor held up a hand to signal that they should stop, pulling her out of her inner monologue.

"Careful." The Doctor whispered. "We're very close."

They stopped, searching for any sign of the creature's location. There were a few moments of tense silence while they tried to make something out through the heated mist of their dark cavernous surroundings. Then Mickey lowered his weapon, turning to the Doctor.

"Hold on a minute. How can you know that we're close to the queen when none of us can see her yet?" He asked. The Doctor opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Amy's barely contained exclamation as she saw a large insect-like shape speed by through her infrared goggles.

"Oooh! I saw it! Down there!"

Mickey spun around to point his weapon in the direction she indicated.

"Where?" He asked, as the Doctor stepped up beside her.

"Oh I don't know. It was only there for a moment. It just sort of swooped by really fast like a..big...insectoid..swoopy thing! I don't know where it's gone."

"Swoopy thing?" Mickey echoed, giving her a look.

"Shut up." She replied as they searched their surroundings for another glimpse of the creature. The Doctor turned down the tunnel behind them and to their right, not going too far, but taking a look, just in case.

"Are you sure it was down there?" Mickey asked.

"Yeah. I mean, I'm pretty sure. I just -" Amy stopped talking as she heard a soft hiss from right above her. She turned slowly, her heart hammering in her chest, to see one black, blade-like leg sliding silently down the wall to her right. "Mickey!" She whispered harshly, her eyes wide with fear. He turned and pointed his weapon at the beast above her as it swiped down at her with its deadly blade. She screamed.

* * *

><p>Jyun woke in the now obnoxiously familiar hospital bed in Medical. His head hurt and his limbs felt heavy and shaky. He couldn't sense the Doctor nearby and immediately reached out with his mind for the other Timelord, feeling a heavy sense of foreboding. This sense was justified. Not only did he find the Doctor was far too distant for his liking, but he felt a spike of fear and a protective instinct from the Doctor's mind as he made contact. Jyun looked around, confirming his suspicions: Amy was indeed also absent. She had probably followed the Doctor happily into whatever dangerous confrontation he had just waltzed into unprepared, stubbornly leaving Jyun and the others behind to wait it out on the side lines. Martha walked up to check on him as he mentally consoled himself. <em>~Well. At least things can't get any worse.~<em> Seconds after he'd thought this, Colonel Stone came in with two unfriendly looking UNIT officers. _~Naturally.~_

* * *

><p>Amy screamed as the Dole lashed out at her with its sharp foreleg, instinctively putting her arms up to shield her face. Strong, slender arms wrapped around her, yanking her into the tunnel on her right. The Dole missed. Mickey fired his nitrogen weapon at the queen, spraying her back legs with a coating of frost as she sped away out of sight. The Doctor turned Amy around to face him, studying her expression.<p>

"Amy! Are you alright?" There was a thump from down the tunnel where the queen had lost her grip and had fallen off the ceiling. Amy looked quietly into the Doctor's eyes and sniffed, her expression unreadable."Amy?"

She blinked and nodded once, seeming to come to some decision, and turned, heading out into the tunnel where Mickey was still dealing with the Dole. The Doctor followed her, curious and still a bit concerned for her well-being. Mickey was now standing over the struggling queen. He leapt back as she took a swipe at him, moving to aim his weapon at her again.

"Give me that." Amy said, taking the nitrogen weapon from him and spraying the Dole quite thoroughly with it, covering the creature in it until it went into a dormant state. Then she took a deep breath and handed it back to him. "There you go. Now I'm alright."

Mickey and the Doctor exchanged a look as she moved past the Doctor to head back to the TARDIS.

"I like her." Mickey stated. The Doctor nodded and they set about moving the Dole back toward the TARDIS.

* * *

><p>"The Doctor isn't going to stand for this." Jyun informed his captors emotionlessly as he looked out at them through the plexiglass wall to his cell with his hands tucked comfortably into the pocket of his brown hoodie.<p>

"He is going to have to come to terms with it." Colonel Stone responded gruffly. "We tolerate him here because he is a valuable asset, but this is our planet and our facility. He does not have the authority to dictate our actions or impose his own convoluted alien morals on us. These are my people and you are my prisoner."

Jyun looked him over thoughtfully for a moment before sitting gracefully on his sparse-looking grey cot.

"You're intoxicated." He stated disinterestedly before lying down, folding his arms over his chest and shutting his eyes. At least he was wearing real clothing now. That was an improvement.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Yeah I know, Colonel Stone's being a complete douchebag. Quelle surprise. Things just can't go too smoothly for the Doctor and friends. I know this chapter turned out kinda choppy but I hope it created the desired effect. Anyway, Thank you all for reading. A special thanks to my darling reviewers Jim Moriarty and BiggerOnTheInside95. As always I must ask you to please review. Come on. You know you want to...


	15. The Distress Call

When the Dole woke they were once again in their own ship but were still unable to move. The Doctor and three humans were walking about in between them. When he noticed the queen was awake, the Doctor laid out his ultimatum. Their link had been restored with their ship. They were free to go as long as they stayed away from this planet and it's native lifeforms. Did he think them so weak? The Doctor turned, looking the queen in the eyes. Suddenly she felt unsure.

"I understand why you did what you did. You needed your device to run your ship. They stole it from you, and you were hungry, and you were angry, and I know you were afraid, but that fight is over now. You have what you need to get back home, and I understand that you are still angry - justifiably so! - but this was the crime of two foolish men, not an entire species, and those individuals will be punished. You have a chance to let this go and leave this planet without repercussions. This planet is young, and although you have reason to distrust the human inhabitants, this is just the beginning. They are just beginning to become what they will one day be and believe me in your future you will truly appreciate that potential. You will not regret it for a moment. So I'm giving you this chance, one chance. You should take it because if you don't I will stop you." The Doctor said looking into her with an ancient, powerful gaze. She understood. She would oblige him, after all she already knew the Terran thieves would be dealt with. He would not allow more death.

* * *

><p>When they got out of the TARDIS back at the UNIT facility, something instantly seemed very wrong. The Doctor sniffed the air expectantly before turning back to the others.<p>

"Back in the TARDIS!" He ordered.

"What was that?" Thompson asked, rubbing his head as the Doctor fiddled with one of the TARDIS' screens, Mickey leaned against the railing, also fighting a nasty headache from... whatever that had been. Amy studied the others, wondering why they were all looking so much paler. Her head didn't hurt a bit.

"Telepathic distortion field, similar to the one created by the Colligo device but more unstable. It looks like someone was attempting to replicate it." The Doctor explained.

"That's bad right?" Amy asked . The Doctor hurried down the staircase to the lower level and began searching for something.

"Oh yes." He replied. The three humans leaned over the railing, trying to see what he was doing. "Ah! Here we are!"

The Doctor jogged back up the staircase with a pill bottle in hand.

"What's that then?" Mickey asked as the Doctor shook out a little neon pink pill and swallowed it.

"This will help resist the effects of the telepathic field. It won't stop it, but it should help." He replied tossing the pill bottle to Thompson, who took one and passed it to Amy. "No, not you Amy. You're staying here."

Amy opened her mouth to argue but the Doctor just kept talking.

"Someone needs to stay and watch over things from here. Someone unaffected."

"And I'm unaffected? Doctor I've been exposed to that device just as much as you have."

"Yes but you weren't affected." The Doctor replied cryptically, Amy blinked and leaned against the console. "Thompson you stay as well. Try to keep a clear head."

"Yes sir." Thompson replied and moved over to stand by Amy at the console.

"Come on Mickey. Let's find that device." The Doctor said and hurried out of the TARDIS with Mickey close behind him. The screen in front of Amy instantly switched to show them as they sped through the hallway. There were a few unconscious soldiers lying here and there, having passed out from the stresses of the telepathic field.

"I don't suppose you'd happen to know the way to the labs?" The Doctor asked.

"Actually I do. Follow me." Mickey replied leading the way as they ran down the hall. When they got there, they went from door to door until Mickey stopped short,staring through a window. Martha lay collapsed on the floor by a table which held what had to be the device they were looking for. As he got closer, his head began to hurt more and more until he also collapsed. The Doctor managed to get only a little closer before he, too, fell to the ground, succumbing to the effects of the telepathic distortion. There were two soldiers coming down the hall behind them. He tried to use his sonic screw driver to weaken the device, but he wasn't close enough. The field was too unstable, it's charge fluctuating more and more violently as the power built. He reached out with his mind, instinctively calling out to the other Timelord before his world faded into darkness.

* * *

><p>Koschei and his alters were discussing the current situation, when the Doctor's call suddenly reverberated through the dreamscape echoing through the stillness of the clearing, startling them into silence. A moment later the soldiers that had stayed down in containment hurried toward the cells as they heard the commotion coming from Koschei's cell. Something must have really freaked him out. Captain Mallory stepped up to the plexiglass barrier to look in at the pale alien as he paced, occasionally lashing out at the nearest inanimate object or yelling.<p>

"Koschei? Calm down." Mallory tried "Talk to me."

"Let me out!"

"You know I can't do that."

"Bad things, very bad things..." Koschei pulled at his messy white hair. "Better let me out."

"Koschei stop it! Just tell me what you're on about." Mallory ordered impatiently. Koschei stopped pacing and turned to face him.

"LET ME OUT!" He yelled and ran at the barrier, causing Captain Mallory to take a step back in surprise. The alien thrashed around, beating at the barrier. "I want out!"

Koschei threw himself against the plexiglass a couple times lashing out like a trapped wild animal before abruptly collapsing. The UNIT soldiers exchanged a look.

"Koschei?" Mallory tried "Koschei?"

No response.

"Bloody brilliant." He muttered darkly, unlocking the cell and entering cautiously. He poked Koschei's prone form with the toe of his boot. Nothing. He knelt down to check for a pulse. With one amazingly swift, fluid motion Koschei was back on his feet taking the Captain's gun from him and shoving him into the other soldier. As he stepped out of the cell, they were regaining their footing. Koschei knocked one out with the butt of the rifle and Mallory tried to wrestle it from him. Koschei swung around and let go of the gun so that the younger man fell backwards into his cell.

"Fine. Take it." He said locking him in. Hurrying out into the hall and ignoring the Captain's angry shouts behind him. He sped down the hall, skidding to a halt as he reached a fork. "Which way..?"

He heard more UNIT soldiers coming his way, quickly getting closer. He shrugged and hurried down the hall to his left. Luckily, this turned out to be the correct choice, and after only one minor scuffle with the security personnel, in which his smaller size and superior agility had turned out to come in handy, he reached the labs. He stopped outside a doorway when he heard Major Thompson's voice very faintly from somewhere inside. There was another unconscious soldier slumped in the doorway. He stepped over him and saw the Doctor, Mickey and Martha all lying unconscious on the floor.

"Fools rush in." He commented, rubbing at his aching head absent-mindedly. He walked over to the Doctor and took the Doctor's earpiece, gently brushing the hair out of the younger Timelord's face, pleased to see he was breathing normally.

"Doctor! Mickey can you hear me? Please someone respond!" Major Thompson was saying.

"Can you hear me Major Tom? Can you hear me Major Tom?" Koschei sang cheekily.

"Koschei? What are you doing there?" Thompson asked.

"Long story. The field is getting too strong. The others have already passed out." Koschei responded, "I've got minutes."

"Can you stop it?" Amy asked. Koschei took the Doctor's screwdriver out of his limp hand and scanned the device with it, trying to ignore his worsening migraine.

* * *

><p>Back inside the TARDIS, Amy stared anxiously at the flickering screen. They'd gotten back visual just after Koschei entered the lab. Thompson had begun to pace. Her question was met by a long silence as the picture flickered out again.<p>

"Koschei?" She questioned tentatively.

Silence.

"Koschei? !"

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Yeah I know I'm evil. Bwahaha! Anyway, thank you all for reading this and thank you to those of you who alerted and favorited this. Of course a super special thank you goes out to kittenmew and bunyipbabe for reviewing. Also I have to admit I really enjoyed writing the ever-so-brief fight scene in the cells, I just really like the idea of our sweet little Koschei being a total BAMF even if he is an insane BAMF. For those of you that may not know the Major Tom, Major Tom joke is a reference to a David Bowie song called 'Space Oddity'. Okay, now that's sorted I'll just move on.. Ah yes, as always please review.


	16. Belts Around the Mind and Truth Confined

Back inside the TARDIS Amy stared anxiously at the flickering screen. They'd gotten back visual just after Koschei entered the lab. Thompson had begun to pace. Her question was met by a long silence as the picture flickered out again.

"Koschei?" She questioned tentatively.

Silence.

"Koschei?"

""I'm trying." Came his slightly irritable response. Amy sighed, both annoyed and relieved.

"Don't do that!" She scolded as another image appeared on the screen. "Um... Major Thompson?"

There was a team of UNIT officers on their way down to the labs.

"This is Major Tom...I'm stepping through the door." Thompson quipped and hurried out of the TARDIS to help.

* * *

><p>Koschei sonic-ed a circuit on the device and the field weakened a bit. The Doctor stirred slightly. Koschei let out a puff of air and moved on to the next bit, blinking furiously as his eyes once again went out of focus. He tried to continue working, but weakened or not, the telepathic field was taking its toll on him at such close range. His eyes once again lost focus and this time he could not force them back again. He turned quickly at the sound of booted feet hurrying down the hallway.<p>

"Amy..."

"Thompson is on his way to help. In the meantime you'll just have to try and hold them off."

Koschei pushed the unconscious soldier out of the doorway, shut the door and locked it after fumbling a only a little bit. Then he quickly knelt down and tried to wake the Doctor. He shook him. Nope. He shook him more roughly. A groan, but no. He shook him, then lost patience and gave him a determined slap on the face.

"Ow! Wha-?" The Doctor grumbled rubbing his cheek reproachfully. Koschei held up his sonic screwdriver.

"The Device." He stated simply. The Doctor rubbed his head and absently took his sonic from Koschei as the other Timelord helped him to his feet.

"Oh.." He replied, looking over at the offending object, and jumping as he heard the soldiers pound on the door. He moved quickly over to begin defusing the device and then stopped and turned back to look over at his friend, realizing he hadn't moved to follow. "You could help me if you like."

"Actually no. I can't, sorry." Koschei replied grabbing the edge of the lab table next to him. "I can't see."

"Oh." The Doctor replied. Obviously less than thrilled with the situation, he turned back to the device.

"You what?" Amy exclaimed loudly into Koschei's ear.

"Ow." Koschei replied accusingly.

"You can't see!" Amy exclaimed, though more quietly this time.

"Yes, thank you Youngling. That is exactly what I said." Koschei responded flippantly, jumping as the soldiers bashed against the door again and the window broke. Mickey stirred and Koschei carefully moved over to wake him.

"What the-" Mickey muttered taking in the current situation.

"Quickly now, if you don't mind. We need to block that door." Koschei informed him. They pushed one of the heavy lab tables in front of the door after a slight pause while Amy explained the situation to a still dazed Mickey.

"Watch out!" Mickey shouted, pulling Koschei back away from the shattered window as one of the soldiers shot a tranc at him. It missed. Koschei shot an indignant look in Mickey's general direction.

"Right. Um... sorry."

"How's it coming Doctor?" Koschei asked trying to hide the way he was beginning to slump. Luckily Thompson appeared to have arrived and began distracting the other soldiers, but that wouldn't buy them much time.

"Almost finished I think." The Doctor replied distractedly.

"You think?" Koschei said sliding down into a sitting position as his body lost its strength and the pain got too much.

"Almost got it. If I just reverse the polarity here and reroute this circuit here..."

Mickey dropped to Koschei's side, patting an ivory cheek as the alien's head fell back aganst the cabinet.

"Hey Koschei. You with me mate?" The Doctor glanced back at them before quickening his movements.

"Come on just one more...Gotcha!" The Doctor said pulling back as the machine flared bright white before sparking and burning out completely.

Outside the lab, soldiers stumbled as they were suddenly jarred out of their strange adrenalin-filled delerium and their rational minds returned to them fully once again.

Koschei raised his head and let out a relieved sigh."Ah, wonderful! If I passed out one more time I was going to be extremely irritated."

Mickey ran over to check on Martha, and after it was clear that she was indeed completely fine, they turned back to watch the Doctor as he checked Koschei over. He shined the light from his sonic in Koschei's eyes as he spoke.

"Looks like your blindness will only be temporary. How do you feel?"

Koschei shrugged.

"What are you going to do with me?"

The Doctor sighed and put his sonic away before meeting his unseeing eyes.

* * *

><p>The next morning the Doctor and Amy were saying their goodbyes to their freinds at UNIT, minus Captain Mallory who was on duty guarding the cells before the higher ups came to deal with Colonel Stone and Sergeant Combs, who were both being court-martialed for their crimes.<p>

"It was an honour working with you Doctor." Major Thompson said shaking his hand. "Good luck to both of you."

"You too. Who knows, we might even see each other again. You never know."

"I have read your file now."

"Oh have you? That's..." The Doctor said a little uncomfortably.

"Here, I thought you might want this. I made copies for you of everything I had on Koschei and his condition." Martha said breaking the silence. The Doctor took the briefcase she passed to him. "You know the Master's still there, Doctor. Even if Koschei's back, you can't trust him."

"I know. Don't worry. I can handle him. I promise." The Doctor said leaning forward to meet her eye directly. "It was good to see you again."

"It was nice meeting you Amy." Martha said giving her a hug. "You look after him for us alright?"

"I will. Thank you." Amy returned.

"Safe travels Doctor, Miss Pond." Major Thompson said.

"Thank you." The Doctor replied before looking at Amy "Well, we should get going."

After Mickey and Amy exchanged their goodbyes, she followed him into the TARDIS and walked up to the console.

"Ready to go yet?" Jyun asked from where he sat at the bottom of the nearest staircase. The Doctor nodded, moving about the controls, taking off. Amy held onto the railing and stopped the suitcase with her foot as it began to slip too close to the edge. A moment later the turbulence evened out as they entered the vortex. The Doctor stopped fluttering about the controls and was now standing over the console, staring at the drive column as he gathered his thoughts. Amy looked from the Doctor to Jyun for a moment before she spoke.

"Um, I think I should probably go find someplace safer to put this." She said holding up the suitcase. The Doctor nodded, not looking away from the column, so she quietly left.

"Something on your mind?" Jyun asked quietly. The Doctor pushed away from the console to plop down on the stair next to Jyun. He let out a sigh.

"I'm not sure where to begin." He admitted, finally turning to look at the other Timelord. "I'm glad to have you back again. I thought I had lost you forever, but now you're back and that's- that's wonderful.."

"But you don't know what it means." Jyun finished for him.

"You're back but you've changed, then there's the Master and the secrets." Jyun suppressed a flinch when the Doctor mentioned secrets. "...and then there's the fact that you've been dreaming about Amy."

"I know. I wish I could explain...I can't remember. We've tried to make sense of it, but it's like there's this huge, empty, crack in our memory right after Rassilon appeared at Naismith Mansion. I know the Master was pulled back with him, but no matter how hard any of us try, there's just nothing there until I woke up in that park. That night was the first time we had one of those dreams and they haven't stopped since."

The Doctor glanced thoughtfully up at the staircase where Amy had disappeared not long ago. Jyun studied his expression for a moment, following the Doctor's gaze.

"You don't need to worry about her you know. We won't do her any harm. I doubt even the Master would think of harming her at this point. She's too important. We can all feel it. We just don't know why."

* * *

><p>As they walked away from the hallway just recently departed by the TARDIS Lieutenent Lee walked up to Major Thompson.<p>

"Sir, I was just looking for you. Reese is asking to view the footage we have of Colonel Stone's little incident with Koschei and Miss Pond." She informed him passing him a clipboard. "We need you to sign off on the release before he can proceed."

Thompson nodded, humming quietly to himself as he looked over the papers and then signed. Lee smiled raising her eyebrows.

"I'd never've pegged you as a Bowie fan."

"Who? Oh I'm not. I just can't seem to get this tune out of my head." He explained handing back the clipboard.

"Right sir." She replied as he strolled off down the hallway whistling

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: As always thank you guys for reading this. Special thanks to Bunyipbabe and BiggerOnTheInside95 for reviewing. I'd also like to clarify that this is most definitely not the end of the story, just the end of the episode. I know it's long, it's a season 5 AU. I've been debating whether or not to continue to post the story here as a whole or to brake it up and post each episode separately. I figure breaking it up might be problematic but if you disagree feel free to let me know. I may end up condensing the story a bit from now on by posting longer chapters in order to bring down the number of chapters in future episodes. I feel this one can be a little longer being as it's sort of a pilot episode in a way and they tend to run longer. In the next few chapters I will be venturing further into the cannon timeline but never fear the storyline will diverge once again. After all they have Koschei/Jyun/The Master travelling with them in this one so it kinda has too. I'm a bit nervous about it to be honest which is probably why I'm leaving this heinously long author's note. Sorry. I'll shut up now.


	17. Whatever I've Done

**Episode Two:The Stone Angels**

Disclaimer: If it seems like it's not mine it probably isn't. My stuff is mine. The rest is the BBC's or Depeche Mode's.

_"Still my pen bleeds and stains the paper with thought/Finding me lost among statues and mainstream idols/ Browning in melted ice to reinforce that breath is vital."_

_- Aesop Rock (One Brick)_

Chapter One: Whatever I've Done

Amy wandered through the halls of the TARDIS. She had glanced into the workshop to see the Doctor completely absorbed in his work on a small circular device of some sort. She had seen him working on sketches of it when they'd visited America in the late nineties just a little while ago. She had decided to shop. He had seemed underwhelmed by the idea, while Jyun had actually managed to blend in surprisingly well. It had been a nice break, she thought. She approached the door to Koschei's room, following the sound of the music playing. He had left the door wide open and she could see him fastening bits of paper haphazardly to his wall. Some of of it had writing on on it in English. Some of it had little sketches, or strange circular symbols like the ones she sometimes saw floating across the TARDIS screens. There was even a sketch of her up in one corner of the strange collage with more circular symbols written elegantly along the bottom. It was actually a pretty good likeness. She walked over to stand in the doorway. She listened to the words before she spoke, trying to gauge his mood.

_**...'**__**What am I supposed to do? With everything that I've done- It's leading me to conclude: I'm not the one. Whatever I've done I've been staring down the barrel of a gun'...**_

_~He's listening to electronic music but it's not the loud, annoying kind the Master usually plays just to bug the Doctor. Jyun seems to prefer classical music. So...~ ._

"Hi Koschei, what are you up to?" Amy asked watching him fasten another symbol covered scrap to his bedroom wall. He glanced over at her for a second, flashing her a shy smile before he replied. She mentally praised herself for guessing right.

"Trying to figure it out." He answered studying his work. "I still have this big gap in my memory. I don't know what I'm missing but I just know it's something very important... all of it is and I intend to get to the bottom of it."

"Hmm." Amy hummed, stepping up beside him to study his work more closely. They both stood in silence, scrutinizing it until the Doctor sped past the doorway, heading for the console room and they both turned to look.

"Come on Lady Firecracker, let's see where we're off to." Koschei said patting Amy's shoulder as he moved past her out of the room.

"Firecracker." Amy echoed as she followed him out "I think I like that one."

"Where are we headed?" Koschei asked as they jogged down the stars to join the Doctor by the controls.

"52nd century. Just dropping by the museum. Should be fun." The Doctor replied pleasantly.

* * *

><p>On a ship not terribly far behind said museum chronologically, a guard found himself happily in a field. Well, he wasn't actually in a field, but he was enjoying it none the less. His superiors, however, were not. Damn that woman and her hallucinogenic lipstick.<p>

* * *

><p>The Doctor and Amy were moving from case to case in the museum looking in at the various different artifacts while Koschei followed behind them a little more slowly, lost in his own thoughts. He'd been like that lately. He was always a bit worried, knowing that he was missing an important chunk of his own history. He tried not to worry the Doctor or Amy but he was still obviously preoccupied most of the time. He looked up to see the Doctor and Amy were standing over another glass case a few cases down from him. He could tell that whatever was in it intrigued the Doctor. He ambled over just in time to hear Amy ask about it.<p>

"The writing... the graffiti: Old High Gallifreyan." The Doctor explained, continuing dramatically. "The lost language of the Timelords. There were days, there were many days, when these words could burn stars, raise up empires, and topple gods."

"What does this one say?" Amy asked, smiling as Koschei leaned over the case to read the graffiti.

" 'Hello, Sweetie.' " He read in monotone.

Amy raised her eyebrows.

"Well yeah... It sort of says that." The Doctor admitted eying the black box before looking up and flashing them a mischievious grin.

A moment later guards were running in, the alarms blaring now the Doctor had shattered the glass. All three of them were already running for the TARDIS, ignoring the shouts from the guards and the alarms. Amy even giggled a little as Koschei ran through the TARDIS door after the Doctor and yanked her in behind him.

* * *

><p>"The party's over Dr. Song, yet you're still here." Said the rather imposing man as he walked in between the two soldiers that were pointing rifles at River Song.<p>

* * *

><p>"You know that woman?" Koschei asked as they watched the exchange the TARDIS played back from the home-box recording. The Doctor nodded.<p>

"She obviously wanted to catch my attention. The question is why."

* * *

><p>"Sorry, you understand, but I needed to see what was in your vault. Do you know what's down there? Any of you?" Dr. Song warned. "Because I'll tell you something: this ship won't reach its destination."<p>

"Kill her and make it look like an execution." The man in the tux ordered his much less well-dressed flunkies.

Dr. Song looked at her watch reciting swiftly but clearly.

"Treble seven five slash three four nine by ten zero twelve slash acorn." River put a hand to fix her hair adding, "And I could do with an air corridor."

* * *

><p>The Doctor and Koschei exchanged an incredulous look before jumping into action, hands fluttering over the TARDIS controls with perfect synchronisation. Amy stood watching them by the monitor feeling a bit left out.<p>

"What was that?" She asked.

"Coordinates." Koschei told her as the Doctor began to move toward the door and Koschei flipped the last switch.

* * *

><p>"Like I said on the dance floor," Dr. Song told the men standing in the hall before her. "You might want to find something to hold onto."<p>

The men all dove to grab onto the sides of the corridor as the telltale sounds of an outer hatch being blown filled the area.

* * *

><p>Outside the ship a few meters away the TARDIS materialized and the Doctor hurried to open the door, reaching out an arm to catch the woman as she floated into space drifting toward the doorway... to land on top of him. Amy crossed her arms disapprovingly.<p>

"Doctor?" Koschei questioned, sounding slightly miffed.

"River." The Doctor said, staring at her. She pushed herself off of him to look back through the doors pulling him up with her.

"Follow that ship!" She said as the ship from which she had just ejected vanished into hyperspace.

Koschei retreated to the staircase and took a seat on the third step while the Doctor and River hurried over and began their pursuit of the spaceliner. Amy stepped back quickly from her place near the monitors trying to keep out of the way. She looked around her, feeling a bit overwhelmed as the Doctor and River fussed over the controls and argued over the best approach. She noticed Koschei sitting quietly on his stair, occasionially shooting suspicious glances at River Song and well, pouting really.

"We're losing them!" River exclaimed, causing Amy to shift her attention back to their little argument as she carefully moved over to join Koschei on the stairs. "Hit the stabilizers!"

"Stabilizers? What stabilizers? There aren't any stabilizers!" The Doctor shot back indignantly. Koschei rolled his eyes and began to point them out.

"Actually, Theta-"

"The blue stabilizers...there!" River cut in loudly, effectively drowning him out, moving in front of them to smack the blue stabilizers, and blocking Koschei from the Doctor's view as she did. To be fair though, they _did_ stabilize the ship, as promised. Koschei pulled his legs up hugging them to his chest. River smiled smugly at the Doctor. "See?"

"Yeah. Well it's just boring now isn't it." The Doctor protested irritably. "They're boringers! Blue boringers!"

"Such a child." Koschei remarked fondly. Amy leaned closer to speak with him quietly.

"Do you know why exactly she can fly the TARDIS?" She asked only for the Doctor to ruin her attempt at subtlety by shouting.

"You call that flying the TARDIS? Ha!" The Doctor sat down poutily, crossing his arms over his chest. Koschei raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. He looked over at Amy and shook his head.

"We haven't met this one before. She was never a companion of his as far as I know." He explained quietly as River continued talking to the Doctor in the background. "It's the first I've heard of a TARDIS allowing for a non-Timelord pilot."

Amy frowned at this, considering his response as Koschei's golden gaze landed once again on the mysterious woman.

"You mean we've landed?" The Doctor was saying incredulously as he stood.

"Well of course we've landed. I just landed her." River replied. Amy turned back to Koschei.

"What do you mean _allowed_ a non-Timelord pilot?" Koschei sighed and scooted closer to Amy on the stair so she could hear his quiet reply.

"But it didn't make the noise." The Doctor protested.

"The TARDIS is programmed with isomorphic controls that limit who can do what while inside. Only a Timelord can pilot, weapons are neutralized- you get the gist, but the TARDIS is sentient and can choose to forgo these limitations... if she so chooses. Most TARDISes I knew of only let one particular Timelord pilot."

"The noise?" River was asking distractedly.

"You know..." The Doctor then preceded to do an impression of the wheezing sound his TARDIS made whenever he landed her, at which point Koschei face-palmed. Amy looked up to send the Doctor a WTF look.

"It's not supposed to make that noise." River told him calmly. "You always leave the brakes on."

"It's a brilliant noise! I love that noise!" The Doctor replied moving past Amy and Koschei toward the door. "Come on Amy, Kos, let's see what's going on outside."

"No! Environment checks." River called. Amy moved to look over the other woman's shoulder, curious. The Doctor stood by the door smiling over at Koschei who paused only a moment before shrugging and moving past him out the door.

"Oh yes, sorry, quite right." The Doctor said before leaning out the door to take a look around. Koschei was leaning aganst the side of the TARDIS just outside the door. "Nice out."

Koschei nodded his agreement, munching on the last of the jelly babies Amy had bought during their last trip. He heard River's voice reporting the readout inside the TARDIS. _~Rather stubborn, really. She can't be that oblivious the Doctor wouldn't have bothered with her if she was.~ _

"Oxygen rich atmosphere. Early indications suggest-"

"We're on Alfava Mitraxis, the second planet of the Dndra System, oxygen rich atmosphere, eleven-hour day and..." The Doctor continued as Koschei smirked in amusement. "Chances of rain later."

"Cheeky." Koschei remarked still smirking. The Doctor winked and grabbed Koschei's arm, pulling him back inside and they walked back up to join the others.

"How'd you learn to fly the TARDIS?" Amy asked.

"Oh, I learned from the very best." River told her. Koschei crossed his arms over his chest leaning back against the railing.

"Well..." the Doctor muttered smiling. "Yeah."

"It's a shame you were busy that day." River told him, heading toward the doors. "So... Why did they land here?"

"They didn't." Koschei responded simply.

"Sorry?" River replied not looking at him. It occured to the Doctor that she hadn't actually looked at Koschei at all since her arrival, or come to think of it, even acknowledged his presence in any way before now.

"You should have checked the home-box." The Doctor clarified moving quickly to shut the doors behind her. "It crashed."

"Explain." Amy demanded as he returned to the controls "Who is she and how'd she do the museum thing?"

"And how did she fly the TARDIS?" Koschei put in helpfully.

"It's a long story and I don't know most of it myself." The Doctor said fussing with the controls.

"What are you doing?" Amy asked following him closely.

"Leaving. She's gone where she wants to go. Now let's go where we want."

"So you're basically running away?"

"Yes."

"Why exactly?" Koschei asked sounding mildly curious.

"Because she's the future. My future." The Doctor replied and Koschei made a face.

"You're gonna run away from that?" Amy persisted.

"I can run from whatever I like." The Doctor retorted, Koschei re-crossed his arms at that, looking displeased but said nothing. Amy narrowed her eyes at him for a moment before turning back to the Doctor.

"You promised me a planet, Doctor. That's a planet out there isn't it?"

"There are others elsewhere." Koschei pointed out, studying the Doctor thoughtfully, waiting to see his response.

"Thank you." The Doctor said before he looked over at his old friend's face and his smile faltered. Amy studied them, feeling once again out of the loop. Just when she was about ready to comment the Doctor sighed. "Alright, five minutes."

She whooped happily and hurried to the doors.

"But that's all!" He called after her as she left. "I'm not letting that woman pull me into anything!"

"Of course not." Koschei said, sounding unconvinced. He paused debating whether or not to ask his next question. "Who is she?"

"I'm not entirely sure. We never meet in the right order." The Doctor explained. "Her past is my future. Listen Kos. What I said earlier I didn't mean-"

Koschei shook his head and slipped out the door before the Doctor could finish. The Doctor sighed and followed him out.

"Just five minutes." He muttered to himself as he pulled the TARDIS door shut behind him.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: So here it is, Episode Two! I'm sorry for any errors I had issues uploading this one I hope you still like it though. The song Koschei is listening to in the beginning is 'Barrel of a Gun' by Depeche Mode and oh my god the lyrics to that song are so freakin' perfect for all three of him I just had to use it! Thank you all for reading and special thank you to BiggerOnTheInside95 and Bunyipbabe for reviewing the last chapter. Your feedback, as always is most welcome so please feel free to review.


	18. This is Bad

They joined River outside where she was staring up at the wreckage of the space-liner which had crashed into the top of a large Aplan Temple.

"So what caused the ship to crash?" She asked as they reached her. "Not me."

"No the airlock would have resealed itself seconds after you blew it." The Doctor assured her. "According to the home-box the crash was caused by a phase shift."

"A phase shift would have to be sabotage." River concluded. "I did warn them."

"About what?" Koschei asked from his place behind her left shoulder. River's eyes shifted in his direction very briefly, her face showing a flicker of discomfort. It lasted only a fraction of a second, but the Doctor caught it.

"At least the place was empty." She noted, apparently deciding to just ignore him. "Aplan Temple, unoccupied for centuries."

The Doctor turned, grabbing Koschei's arm and leading him back toward the TARDIS.

"Aren't you going to introduce us?" Amy asked when they passed her.

"Amy, Koschei, Professor River Song." The Doctor indicated. River turned around to face them, smiling mischieviously.

"Ah, so I'm going to be a Professor!" She laughed. "Spoilers!"

Koschei raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, Koschei Dear, I am sorry if I put you off earlier. I still can't quite tell you apart without your collar." She explained. Koschei looked at Amy mouthing the word, "Collar?" It took her a moment before her eyes widened in comprehension and she looked at the Doctor. Koschei crossed his arms, following her gaze.

"I was going to mention it later." The Doctor muttered uncomfortably. River put a hand to her mouth.

"Oops! I guess we must be before that bit." She said, not sounding all that apologetic, perhaps even a little amused.

"Yes, very funny! Try to remember next time, and for future reference I am not your chauffer." He grumbled as Koschei pushed mutely past him to sit on a rock next to River. "I'm not going to be there every time you just feel like jumping out of a space ship."

"And you are so wrong." River remarked, The Doctor touched Koschei's shoulder to try and get his attention. He ignored him moving to look over River's shoulder with mild interest as she keyed information into her communications device.

"Come on." The Doctor told him and Amy, already heading back to the TARDIS. Amy turned to follow but hesitated when she saw Koschei wasn't budging.

"There's one survivor." River said loudly. "There's a thing in the belly of that ship that can never die."

The Doctor stopped walking.

"Now he's listening." River remarked to his two companions before walking off to talk to whomever was on the other end of her comm.

"I don't think I like her very much." Koschei told the Doctor quietly as he came up beside him. The Doctor just glanced at him distractedly to show he was listening. "We aren't leaving here are we?"

The Doctor put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him, though he himself was clearly unhappy. He was already deep in his own thoughts wondering what she'd gotten them into.

"Doctor. Can you sonic me?" River called holding up her device. "I need you to boost the signal."

He pointed his sonic screwdriver at her device doing just as she'd asked and she curtsied her thanks before turning back to her conversation. Amy walked up to them.

"Ooh Doctor, you sonic-ed her." Amy joked. Koschei rolled his eyes and walked off to sit on one of the large rocks in between them and River. River moved past him pulling out a little blue book to compare timelines with the Doctor. Koschei more or less tuned it out until a number of cyclonic disturbances in the air appeared, depositing a team of military-looking men in the area beside the ruins. The men walked over to meet them.

"You promised me an army ." The leader said gruffly.

"No. I promised the equivalent." River corrected. "This is the Doctor."

He turned to the Doctor who did a sloppy mock salute.

"Father Octavian." The man introduced himself. "Bishop, second class. Twenty men at my command. The troops are already in the dropship and will be landing shortly. was helping us with a covert investigation. Has explained to you what we're dealing with?"

The Doctor shook his head and River turned to him.

"What do you know about the Weeping Angels?" The Doctor's gaze snapped down to meet hers. Koschei tensed, feeling the Doctor's apprehension and remembering the stories they had been told throughout their youth.

"What is it?" Amy asked him quietly, noticing both her alien friends' reactions. Koschei studied her thoughtfully for a moment before he replied. This was going to be very dangerous, especially for her. Humans are fragile. Sure this would be bad for him and Theta as well but at least they could regenerate. Well, he _probably_ could... maybe not, but Amy could die far more easily.

"Koschei?" Amy prompted noticing the way he was looking at her.

"This is bad." He told her simply. The Doctor turned back to them as the others began to move about, preparing for their mission.

"Amy, Kos, I want you to go back and wait in the TARDIS."

Koschei tilted his head to the side in his catlike gesture and Amy crossed her arms over her chest. Neither moved. The Doctor made a frustrated sound.

"Fine. Be stubborn." He said pushing past them, turning back to add. "Just don't wander off."

* * *

><p>Later when Amy and the Doctor were sitting at the newly made base camp, Koschei went off to score himself a snack- and a drink for Amy. She had called after him as he got up, telling him he should see if he could find her a soda. River had seemed irritatingly amused by their exchange. He headed back out of the TARDIS with what he considered a pretty normal snack for someone with his dietary needs (a 'rare' beef sandwich and a pocket full of sweets) and a cola he'd found for Amy in the TARDIS refrigerator. He walked over to the others just as they were getting up to follow River into one of the pods. He tossed Amy her soda, taking a bite out of his sandwich. Father Octavian paused to watch in amusement as she held the can away from herself suspiciously, opening it as it foamed over from Koschei's rough handling. She shook the soda off her hand and glared accusingly over at Koschei who smiled sweetly back at her.<p>

"What?" He asked, his face a perfect a portrait of innocence. Amy pointed at Koschei.

"Behave." She ordered sternly before following Father Octavian, who smiled and shook his head, entering the pod. Koschei quickly finished his sandwich and followed. River was showing them footage of the Weeping Angel when he joined them.

"It's from the security cameras in the Byzantium Vault." River explained. "I ripped it when I was on board. Sorry, it's only four seconds. I put it on a loop."

"Yep, it's an Angel." The Doctor confirmed."Hands covering its face."

"You've encountered them before." Father Octavian noted sounding impressed. Koschei looked over at the Doctor, surprised as well.

"Oh, once on Earth, but those were scavengers, barely surviving." The Doctor admitted humbly.

"But it's just a statue." Amy said, confused.

"It's just a statue when you see it." Koschei explained. "Look away and it's a monster."

"Where did you find it?" The Doctor asked

"It was pulled from the ruins of Rasmahan -been in private hands ever since. It's remained dormant all that time." River explained

"There is a difference between dormant and patient." He corrected her.

"You said they're only statues when you see them?" Amy asked turning to Koschei who was sitting beside her, studying the footage of the Angel.

"Or so the legend says." River added dramatically.

"It's not a legend. It's a quantum lock." The Doctor shot back sourly, River's expression darkened as he tore a strap off the ceiling.

"Theta." Koschei warned, sending him the dreaded 'look of doom' used by mothers throughout the Mutters Spiral. The Doctor snapped his mouth shut and closed his eyes for a moment to calm himself before shooting out the door, back to the task at hand, calling out questions to River and the Bishop as if nothing had happened.

"Koschei?" Amy prompted as the others left them alone in the viewing area.

"A Quantum lock: They cease to exist in our time-stream while they are being observed, appearing to become stone. Then you look away and they re-animate." He explained, still eying the recording as it looped.

"And then?" Amy asked fiddling with the remote. Koschei touched her arm as he stood.

"If you see one don't blink." He told her seriously, staring her straight in the eyes. She nodded and he let go, heading out to join the others. She took a deep, steadying breath and followed.

"Sweetie, I need you." River called out to the Doctor who walked over toward her work station grabbing Koschei's hood to pull him along with him as he passed.

"Anybody need me?" Amy asked "Nobody?"

She shrugged and walked back inside, glancing over at the screen. She frowned and turned back to look again._~That's odd I could have sworn it was facing the other way.~_

* * *

><p>Koschei let the Doctor lead him over to River's work station and plopped down on a crate behind them as River passed the Doctor an old notebook.<p>

"I found this, a definitive work on the Weeping Angels-well the only one," she explained, "Written by a madman. It's barely readable but I've marked a few passages."

The Doctor had already speed-read the whole thing by the time she was finished.

"Not bad, a bit slow in the middle. Didn't you hate his girlfriend?" The Doctor said conversationally. River's mouth fell open."No wait! Wait!"

He sniffed the book and she turned to look questioningly at Koschei, who just shrugged and popped a sweet into his mouth.

"?" Amy called, before leaning out the doorway "Did you have more than one clip of the angel?"

"No. Just the four seconds." River called back before turning back to her work. Koschei reached for another sweet, but then stopped, turning back to the door.

"Why?" He asked, but Amy had already gone back inside. He sat and thought things over for a moment before getting up and heading over to join Amy. Just as he reached the door it slammed shut. **On its own**.

Inside, Amy tried to shut off the screen but it just kept turning back on. She was positive now. The image on the screen had most definitely changed. She leaned forward to get a closer look.

"But that's impossible. You're just a recording. You can't move." She tried to pull the plug, but it just wouldn't budge. When she looked back up at the screen to see the Angel's face staring right back at her, nose to nose. She gasped and jumped back.

"Little One..." Koschei called to her from just outside. "Could you come open the door?"

Amy's heartrate sped up as she hurried over to unseal the door. She knew for a fact she hadn't shut it. She struggled to turn the latch but it wouldn't budge. Just like the power cord. She yanked it again, using all her weight to try to force it. Nothing. "It's stuck! I didn't even close it!"

She looked quickly back at the screen. "Koschei! It moved!" She yelled feeling the panic beginning to spread through her. "The Angel in the recording! It's just supposed to be an image!"

There was a moment of tense silence.

"Koschei?" She called staring at the recording. His warning from earlier echoing through her mind.

"Don't blink." He told her solemnly.

"Not even tempted!"

Koschei pulled away from the door, calling for the Doctor, and then she heard shuffling noises as he searched for another way to get her out... followed by some colorful swearing in a number of languages, some of which she didn't recognize.

"What is it?" The Doctor said as he and River jogged up. "What's happening?"

"It's an Angel. It's locked Amy in with it and I can't get the bloody door open." Koschei reported, moving quickly out of the Doctor's way so he could sonic the door release, then tried to open it again as soon as he had. "Oh, just fucking brilliant! Of course it has! It's been deadlocked!"

"It can't be deadlocked. It doesn't have a deadlock." River argued.

"Well it does now!" He snapped, jumping down and helping the Doctor pry open a panel. River tried the door again just to be sure.

"Doctor! It's coming out of the screen!" Amy shouted sounding panicked. "Oh God! This is just like that scene in The Ring!"

"The what? No nevermind; just don't blink!" The Doctor replied.

"Do you have any idea how difficult it is not to blink _at all_?" Amy shouted back. Koschei moved back over to the door to try and comfort her, switching places with River.

"Listen, I know it's difficult, but you can do this. We're doing our best to get you out of there as quickly as possible. It can't hurt you as long as you keep looking." He leaned over to look at the others.

"I'm cutting the power now, should turn off the screen...Nope, it's deadlocked the entire system." The Doctor said adding more loudly "Can you turn it off?"

"What?"

"The screen love, can you turn it off?" Koschei clarified.

"I tried."

"Try again. Just don't take your eyes off the Angel." The Doctor ordered, rejoining Koschei by the door.

"I'm not!" Amy insisted irritably, grabbing the remote and trying to switch it off. "It just keeps turning back on!"

"It's the Angel." The Doctor concluded.

"But it's just a recording!"

"Anything that takes on the image of an Angel becomes, itself, an Angel." He recited.

"What are you doing?" Koschei asked, noticing River holding up a blowtorch to the window.

"Trying to cut through. It's not even warm."

"There's no way in!" The Doctor snapped "It's not physically possible!"

"How is that even remotely helpful?" Koschei scolded him angrily.

"Doctor? Koschei?" Amy called sounding close to tears. "What's it going to do to me?"

"Just keep looking at it!" The Doctor replied.

"Tell me."

"You're gonna be fine, Love. Just don't blink." Koschei assured her as the Doctor fetched the notebook.

"Tell me!"

"Amy listen. Look at the Angel, but not its eyes, never the eyes." The Doctor shouted sitting on the platform, leaning back against Koschei's leg.

"Why?"

"Doctor, what is it?" River asked

"The eyes are not the windows of the soul, but the doors; beware what may enter there." He read aloud, fidgeting anxiously.

"What did you say Doctor?"

"Just don't look it in the eyes." Koschei informed her.

"No, I mean that thing about images."

"'Whatever takes on the image of an Angel is an Angel?'" Koschei tried.

"Okay then." Amy said sounding determined. "One, two, three, FOUR! Ha! Gotcha!"

Koschei pushed the door open and they hurried in.

"I did it! I paused it!" Amy exclaimed victoriously. "There was this sort of blip on the tape and I paused it on the blip. It wasn't an Angel anymore! That was good, yeah? It was wasn't it? That was pretty good."

Koschei pulled her into a hug. She paused for a moment, startled, before returning it.

"That was very quick thinking, Lady Firecracker. You've lived up to your name."

"I did, didn't I." Amy said. Koschei backed off to sit on a nearby cabinet.

"You were amazing." River agreed proudly before turning to the Doctor. "Was that really the Angel?"

"A projection of the Angel." He explained fussing with the powercord. "It was reaching out to get a good look at us. It's definitely not dormant anymore. I can lend you my TARDIS key if you like."

"What? Why?" Amy asked as Koschei tilted his head to the side thoughtfully before offering her a candy.

"The Angel can't penetrate her defenses."

"I'm fine!" Amy said as she popped a candy into her mouth. Koschei smiled at her.

"You're brilliant." River assured her, giving the Doctor a meaningful glance.

Outside the Bishop's men blew the hatch to the catacombs. The Doctor was called outside by Father Octavian and River gathered her gear and followed him out. Koschei got up to head out also, but paused, seeing Amy rub her eye.

"You alright?"

"Yeah." Amy replied distractedly before turning to follow. "Just something in my eye."

He nodded, beginning to turn away.

"And I'm not little." She informed him. He frowned for a moment before remembering.

"You're right." He agreed "Sorry Bhai, I didn't mean anything by it."

She turned and followed him as he left to join the others at the outer hatch.

"What's that then?" She asked "Koschei? What did you call me?"

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N:Yeah, I know it's long but I'm trying to power through the part that's really cannony as best I can. I'm a bit impatient to post the more AU stuff once again. I hope it isn't to annoying of me. So anyway, I've introduced the first Gallifreyan word into this as well. The translation for such words will be included after the author's note whenever I use such terms. Also for those of you who may not know; The term 'Mutter's Spiral' is actually cannon. It is an alternate name for the Milky Way that was used in the old Doctor Who, something I really liked since logically not everyone would use the same names we do. As always Thank you all for reading. Oh, and guys please review I really need some feedback.

**Bhai (b-eye)**= A term of endearment roughly translated means 'dear one' in english(usually used on younger female relatives like a little sister or a daughter), depending on pronunciation/telepathic resonance/etc. it can also mean: cute, sweet(literal), young, or indicate naivete.


	19. The Switch

They descended into the dark catacombs. When they reached the floor, the Doctor prompted the Bishop and his men to set up the gravity globe.

"What is this place?" Amy asked looking around at their dark stoney surroundings.

"It's an Aplan Mortaria," River explained "sometimes called a Maze of the Dead."

"What's that?" Amy persisted. River was fussing with her gear as if she felt it far more relevant.

Koschei looked around them as he jumped nimbly off the ladder behind her, his nocturnal vision allowing him an unhindered view of the Mortaria.

"What's that Terran saying?" He commented, as the globe was released and lit. "Ah, yes. A needle in a haystack."

"Well I guess this makes it a bit trickier." Father Octavian observed.

"A bit, yeah." The Doctor agreed sarcastically.

As the Bishop began giving his men orders to inspect the statues, Koschei moved closer to Amy.

"Lady Firecracker." He greeted and she smiled. "Could you do me a favor and stick close?"

Amy narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. He looked around for a moment before adding quietly.

"I mean, it's alright if you'd rather not. I just..." He looked down, not meeting her eyes. "I can imagine what the Angel might do to me if it caught me while I was transitioning."

Amy's gaze immediately softened and she grabbed one of the alien's pale hands giving it a reassuring squeeze.

"Hey, that won't happen." She assured him. He gave her a small smile. "Let's make a deal. I'll help you with my single consciousness and you can help me with your night-vision superpowers."

"You've got a deal." Koschei told her, perking up a little.

"Amy. Koschei. Come along, let's go." The Doctor called, heading farther into the Mortaria as they quickly followed. The Doctor stopped a little way in and began doing scans. Koschei walked up to look over his shoulder as Amy fell behind rubbing at her eye again. He more or less completely ignored River as she began chatting with Amy. He reached over the Doctor's shoulder and took the scanner, turning it over.

"It's rude to eavesdrop, M'oshyi." He whispered giving back the scanner. The Doctor blushed and nodded, continuing the scan correctly. River chuckled. Amy looked at Koschei questioningly. Koschei shrugged and looked back over the Doctor's shoulder, continuing more quietly. "So tell me honestly, do you have a plan? I'm not sure this is the best situation to be walking into blind."

"I'm still working on it." The Doctor replied also whispering. "Oh, don't give me that look. I had to do something. As I recall I did tell you to wait in the TARDIS. You refused."

"That isn't the problem. This isn't like the Dole and you know I could have helped you get Amy back into the TARDIS after her little... incident-"

"You mean force don't you. No Koschei, don't start that. It's too much like the Master and you're better than that." The Doctor reprimanded. "Now, just try to be helpful if you can. We'll be fine."

Which was, of course, when they all started at the sound of weapons fire from close by and quickly ran toward the sound. Luckily, they got there only to see the Bishop telling off one of his men for freaking out and firing on an innocent statue. Now the Doctor didn't particularly approve of the Bishop telling the man off for being scared, but it was better than the alternative. While he was assuring the young man he'd really done nothing wrong and simultaneously rebuking his commander, Amy came up next to Koschei.

"So what was that all about?" She asked quietly.

"Just checking on the Doctor, making sure he knows what he's doing."

"And 'Emmah..?'"

"M'oshyi. Just something I used to call him." Koschei explained. She continued to look at him expectantly. "What? Hoping we'll teach you to speak Gallifreyan now, are you?"

"I would love that, actually, but I was just curious since I heard you say it." She responded patiently, knowing he had been feeling stressed of late. Then a mischievous smile crossed her face as a thought occured to her. "Ooh wait! Is it something naughty...embarassed to tell me maybe?"

Koschei blushed, which of course he had no chance of hiding, so he just blatantly ignored it.

"What? No! It's just a nickname! A term of endearment." He insisted. Amy giggled, catching the others' attention. "Quit."

"What's going on?" The Doctor asked, looking from Koschei's blush to Amy's unsuccesfully stifled giggles. Koschei harrumphed and headed back into the chamber they'd been exploring.

"Koschei." Amy called after him. "Oh, come on. Wait up! I was only messing about."

She hurried down the tunnel after him. The Doctor sighed before darting off quickly to follow them. Amy sped up a bit as Koschei vanished from sight around a corner.

* * *

><p>Angelo walked hesitantly through the cave-like passageway where his comrade had called him to look at something, searching the area carefully for any sign of the Angel. So far there had been no sightings, but he couldn't see where Christian had gotten to, either. He paused, narrowing his eyes as the light from his torch fell on something dark dripping down the wall next to him. He moved in closer to get a better look, touching the splatter with a finger. It wasn't black as it'd seemed before but a deep red. Blood. He looked up quickly as he heard something moving rapidly toward him, but not quickly enough.<p>

* * *

><p>"Koschei!" Amy exclaimed grabbing the bit of brown hoodie peeking out from around the corner as she caught up with him, trying to catch her breath.<p>

"What?" He replied calmly, apparently having forgotten his previous irritation with her.

"You're supposed to wait for me." She replied, giving his hoodie a tug before letting go, leaning forward with her hands on her knees. "We agreed to look out for each other, remember?"

He nodded, his golden eyes scanning her face strangely. He didn't seem like he was going to appologize any time soon. Amy straightened up, noticing for the first time the way he was leaning against the wall.

"Hey, are you okay?" She asked more gently.

"I'm fine." He responded a little too quickly, pushing away from the wall and standing to face her.

"Ookaay." She said, as the Doctor caught up to them. "Listen, I'm sorry I teased you."

Koschei just dismissed the issue with a shrug, turning to meet the Doctor's disapproving gaze.

"What?" He asked irritably.

"Don't. Wander. Off." The Doctor scolded. Koschei glared and turned away, scrubbing at his messy white hair as he began to walk off, making it stand up in whispy spikes. The Doctor stepped forward and grabbed his arm. "Ah! No, we'll wait here a moment -let the others catch up. Stop glaring at me. What did you say to him?"

The smaller Timelord scoffed and pulled his arm out of the Doctor's grip, straightening his hoodie.

"I am not your pet!" He cried belligerently. The Doctor turned and looked at Amy.

"No one said you were!" She clarified not _quite_ as loudly.

"Inside voices." The Doctor ordered, turning back to Koschei. "I know you're nobody's pet, but we are in a Mortaria full of statues, searching for a Weeping Angel, and it would be less deadly for all of us if we stuck together. So I suggest you try to avoid disappearing, alone, out of sight of the group in future."

The Doctor waited until he saw Koschei sit down, leaning against the wall, before he turned away and peeked around the corner to check how close the others were. Amy plopped down next to Koschei. They sat in silence for a while until the other's footseps could be heard nearing their section. Koschei staightened, narrowing his eyes as he looked more closely at the statues.

"Koschei?" Amy asked noticing his change of demeanor. "What's wrong?"

The Doctor glanced over at them.

"It seemed like... Never mind."

"What?" The Doctor inquired looking from his friends to the statues.

"There was something...off about the statues but, no it's nothing."

"Something off?" Amy echoed as River and Father Octavian came around the corner. Koschei just shrugged, still looking curiously at the statues as if they were some sort of puzzle. As they stood and followed the others out of the chamber, one of the statues turned its head to watch their retreating backs. A single stoney arm reached out, its grabbing hand closing just inches behind Amy's firey-red locks.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Okay yeah I admit this chapter is much too short for my liking but it'll have to do for now. Thank you all for reading it. I will try to post the next chapter sooner than usual to try and make up for it. Special thanks to BiggerOnTheInside95 for reviewing. I do hope some of you will follow her example as I really do need your feedback. If any of you have questions about the story so far I will do my best to answer them without any spoilers.

**M'oshyi* (Em-oh-shy)**: Lovely, precious, something exceptional in design and appearance or of high sentimental value.

*Putting a y before a letter is like putting an e on the end of a word in English. For example: Jyun is pronounced like June.


	20. The Angel Has No Voice

Bob stood guard nervously at his post farther back toward the entrance to the Maze of the Dead. He turned, looking down one of the tunnels as he thought he'd heard some movement somewhere farther in. He shined his torch down it cautiously, searching for any sign of the dreaded Weeping Angel, but saw nothing.

"Hey, Bob. Come in Bob." A familiar voice crackled over his radio.

"Bob here." He replied.

"You've got to come see this."

"Angelo?" Bob questioned. There was something strange about his friend's voice, but he wasn't sure what it meant.

"You've got to come see this, Bob."

"What are you on about?" Bob tried again, still hesitant.

"Come and see."

Finally Bob caved, and went down the tunnel to see what Angelo was so preoccupied with. As his torchlight fell on the splattering of blood on the wall, and he heard the sound of something really rather nasty speeding towards him, it suddenly dawned on him for some unknown reason in that final moment what had been wrong with his friend's voice. It had no tone, no emotion. He had been speaking to a dead man.

* * *

><p>As they walked through another chamber in the Aplan Mortaria the Doctor was prattling on happily about the Aplans. The Bishop and the two soldiers accompanying them seemed to be doing their best to ignore his incessant chatter as they continued to inspect the statues.<p>

"Now the Aplans, I loved the Aplans - brilliant people. I met an Aplan architect once. Quite a nice chap. Quite clever too." The Doctor remarked amiably to River and Amy, as Koschei pushed ahead of them rolling his eyes. "Well, you know what they say: two heads are better than one."

"Why? Did you help him with the design or something?" Amy asked speeding up a little, so as to stick close to Koschei who had been acting tense and grumpy ever since they'd caught up with him.

"No, not really, _he _had two heads." The Doctor replied easily, as River eyed another statue. Neither she nor the Doctor had taken Koschei's strange little moment back in the other chamber lightly, and both had been trying to catch what it was that was so "off" about the statues. "It made for an interesting cultural contrast, mind you. When I was there last, they'd just banned self-marrying but that's the Church for you. No offense."

Father Octavian began to turn to the Doctor to show his offense to this remark, but stopped midway as he noticed Koschei had come to an abrupt halt, going very still. Amy stumbled to a stop a few steps ahead of him as she noticed.

"Something wrong Sir?" asked the Bishop, shining his flashlight on the alien's tense back. He stayed silent and still, showing no sign he'd heard.

"What is it?" River asked as the Doctor walked up to him. He was eying the statues unblinkingly. The Doctor followed his gaze and it suddenly seemed so obvious.

"Oh." The Doctor said tensely. Amy froze, looking from one to the other nervously.

"Doctor?" She asked just as River caught on as well, her eyes widening at the unpleasant realization.

"Oh dear."

"Nobody move!" The Doctor ordered, looking around them from statue to statue. "Just stay where you are! I've made a mistake. I'm so very sorry but we are all in terrible danger."

"What?" Father Octavian asked, though he obeyed.

"The Aplans." River supplied helpfully. "They have two heads."

"So why don't their statues?" The Doctor continued.

"How come we didn't notice it before?" River asked flashing her torchlight from statue to statue.

"Perception filter." The paler Timelord finally spoke, causing Amy and the soldier standing closest to him to jump slightly.

"He can see through them. It must be why the statues seemed odd." The Doctor explained before grabbing his friend by the arm. "Right: everyone come over here and get behind me right now. I'm going to try something."

He tried to pull Koschei behind him, but the smaller Timelord resisted, glaring at the Doctor stubbornly. The Doctor glared right back.

"This is really not the time!" He admonished. Koschei pulled his arm out of the Doctor's grip. "Master just get behind me right now. I have no time for your reckless power play."

"Master?" Amy echoed questioningly. The Master smirked.

"Ah, damn. You've got me." He responded sarcastically.

"I know you." The Doctor replied.

"What-?" The Bishop began.

"Later." Amy told him, tensely watching the two aliens stare each other down. After a moment the Master relaxed his shoulders, appearing to back down, and the Doctor pushed him behind his back. River immediately grabbed one of his arms to stop him slipping off out of sight again.

"Alright everyone, I need you to switch your torches off." The Doctor said.

"Sir?" The Bishop asked.

"Just do it." The Master ordered gruffly. Amy glared at him but he just ignored her. Hesitantly they all complied.

"Alright then. Three, two, one." The Doctor switched his torch off, then switched it back on only seconds later. Every statue had moved. All of them were closer. Some of them were reaching out toward them.

"Excellent work, Doctor." The Master remarked drily. "We are completely surrounded by Angels."

Amy cuffed him over the back of the head. He turned and scowled at her, rubbing his head as the Doctor hurried forward inspecting each Angel as he went.

"Yep, all Angels. Every single one of them." He concluded. "Keep watching them, all of you. Don't take your eyes off them."

"But you said they were supposed to be, like, really fast. Why haven't they killed us all already?" Amy inquired as they quickly followed the Doctor out of the chamber.

"It looks like they've been here a while." The Master pointed out. Then turned to River. "Oh do let go of me woman! If I was planning on running off I could easily get rid of you!"

She narrowed her eyes at him and his arm sparked a little in her grip causing her to let go quickly and suck on the minor burn on her palm.

"Ah! Stop it!" The Doctor warned him. "Bishop, tell me. Do you know what killed the Aplans?"

"No, I don't. No one does."

"Well I think we've just found out, but the Master's right-"

"Of course I'm right."

"They've been down here a very long time. They'd already driven the Aplans to extinction so they just stayed trapped here for all these years without an energy source." The Doctor continued, ignoring the Master's interruption.

"So they're slower now and they don't look like Angels anymore." Amy said studying the Angel that was crouched in the hallway.

"They must have been trapped down here for ages starving, losing their image, and their image is their power." The Doctor added, then turned to exchange a look with the Master.

"Power..." The Master echoed thoughtfully.

"Power! Of course. The Angel that sabotaged the ship! It wasn't an accident!" The Doctor realized. Behind him the Bishop was calling for his men.

"It was a rescue mission." The Master agreed.

"Any of you? Come in." Father Octavian called over his radio.

"It's Bob sir. Sorry Sir." Came the belated reply.

"Bob, are Angelo and Christian with you? All the statues are active. I repeat. All the statues are active."

"I know, Sir. They killed Angelo and Christian, Sir." The Master narrowed his eyes as he heard this, moving closer to the Bishop with a curious expression. The Doctor grabbed the radio out of the human commander's hand and ignored his objections.

"Bob! This is the Doctor. Where are you now?"

"I'm on my way up to you Sir. I'm homing in on your signal."

The Master's head snapped up as he seemed to come to some kind of conclusion.

"Cut him off." He ordered suddenly, causing all the humans' gazes to snap back to him. The Doctor just gave him a half curious and half dissaproving glance.

"Good Bob! Scared Bob, what did I tell you? Fear makes you fast. Your friends, Bob, what did the Angel do to them?" He continued, more or less ignoring his friend. The Master darted forward as he said this, trying to snatch the radio out of the Doctor's hand, but River grabbed the back of his hoody, holding him back.

"His voice...listen!" The Master half insisted, half coughed, his gold eyes shimmering frustratedly. The Doctor looked back at him, crinkling his brow as he actually followed the suggestion.

"Snapped their necks, sir." Came the blank, emotionless reply. There was no grief in Bob's voice, no fear. Just an empty, detached statement of the requested facts. Amy swallowed, watching as River slowly let go of the Master's hoodie, looking as shocked and disturbed as she felt. The Master stepped forward, locking eyes with the Doctor to share a tense look.

"That's not how Angels kill." The Doctor replied, sounding curious, his calm voice not matching his expression at all. "They must want the bodies for something."

The Master held his hand out for the radio as the reply came through.

"Yes, Sir. We do, Sir. The Angel has no voice." The Doctor who had been passing the radio to the Master so that he could fry it with an electrical pulse suddenly pulled it away at the last minute.

"Doctor!" The Master exclaimed. The Doctor put a hand over his mouth to silence him.

"So when you say you're coming to meet us, you mean the Angel, correct? Would you be the Angel from the Byzantium by any chance?"

"Yes Sir."

"Alright. Thank you. So you're not at the crash site, then. Fry it." The Doctor concluded tossing the radio to the Master and wiping his hand on his jacket as the Master had childishly licked it.

A burst of bright light flashed out of the Master's hand holding the radio as he killed the circuits with an electro-magnetic pulse and it sparked and steamed. He then dropped it so as not to be burned by the melting plastic casing.

"Come on. Let's get to the crash site, quickly now." The Doctor ordered shooing the others out. Amy grabbed the Master's wrist, tugging him along after he hesitated just briefly at seeing the Doctor hanging behind to speak to Father Octavian.

They had just gotten to the passageway outside the chamber when Amy tripped and grabbed the stoney outcropping to her left to keep from falling. She tried to follow the Master out but her hand wouldn't let go. She looked down at the offending limb and felt the hairs rise on the back of her neck. _~Oh no! No this can't be happening!~_ The Master poked his head back around the corner to look at her.

"You've stopped." He noted, not sounding terribly concerned. She glared at him. _~Doesn't even care in the slightest! The bastard!~_ He sighed impatiently. "Care to mention why?"

"I can't!" She shot back rather loudly as the Doctor and Father Octavian joined them.

"Fine." The Master replied turning to go.

"Master!" The Doctor snapped at him. Then the Master stumbled and Father Octavian moved forward to catch him.

"Oh, of all of the times..." The Master slurred irritably as he began to transition. Father Octavian looked from the limp form of the smaller Timelord in his arms to the Doctor and Amy, unsure of what he should do.

"Go ahead. I've got this one." The Doctor told him moving in front of Amy and studying her eyes. Father Octavian nodded, threw the Master over his shoulder and carried him towards the crash site.

"Amy," The Doctor asked, studying Amy's expression closely "what's wrong? Why won't you follow the others?"

"I can't." She repeated as if the reason were obvious." I told you. Just look at my hand!"

The Doctor complied before glancing over her shoulder asking.

"Your hand?"

"It's stone!" She shot back frantically, sounding as if she might be questioning his intelligence.

"No it isn't trust me Amy your hand is not made of stone. It's just the Angel tricking you" The Doctor replied as his torch struggled to stay lit. "and they're coming, this torch will be drained in a moment and we truly do not want to be here when that happens."

Amy looked down at her hand again and struggled but was still unable to let go.

"It's stone." She muttered, defeated.

"It's not." The Doctor replied still staring over her shoulder at the Angel that was now standing a few stepps behind her. "You looked in it's eyes. Now it's manipulating your perseption."

"I'm sorry. I couldn't help it!" Amy replied flinching as the torch flickered once again. "Just go! Get out of here while you still can. Someone's going to have to look after Koschei and there's still all that stuff with River that hasn't happened to you yet."

"Nonsense. That's the future it can still be changed. Now just move your hand."

"I can't!"

"Then I'm sorry about this."

"It's okay. I understand, you have to." Amy said staring over her shoulder at the Angel.

"No not _that_." The Doctor said sounding a little insulted "This."

"Ow! Hey! You bit me!" Amy exclaimed holding her hand to her chest.

"Yes. Clearly not stone. Now we should run." The Doctor replied unappologetically, pulling her after him as he ran to meet the others.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N:So there you are, earlier than usual as promised. As always, thank you all for reading. Special thank yous go out to BiggerOnTheInside95 and Yanna for reviewing. I know this one kinda ends abruptly but I think it still works. Heh, heh. The Master is such a jerk. I love it. As always, please review. Feedback makes the writing process much easier which in turn makes it easier to keep up with updates.


	21. Oh, No!

_The Master opened his eyes in the Dreamscape and glared up at the other two as they stared down at him. He was lying in the middle of the clearing on his back. It was clear to him they had teamed up in order to pull him back._

_"Well?" He prompted impatiently. Koschei crossed his ams and walked over to lean against a tree and stare down at his alter disapprovingly. _

_"You deviated from the plan." Jyun explained emotionlessly as the Master got up and brushed himself off._

_"It was vague at best anyway." The Master replied unrepentantly. "So, I thought I'd make a few adjustments."_

_"We disapprove." Jyun stated simply, his neutral expression not faltering, even though the Master suspected he was actually rather irked._

_"We'll discuss it later. The fact is, while you're messing about fixating on who's leading who, and we have yet to escape, an Angel infested Mortaria!" Koschei snapped "I'm going to manifest. Anything I should know?"_

_"All the statues are Angels." The Master informed him smoothly. Koschei cursed. "Let me handle it."_

_"I'm doing it myself. I don't trust you." Koschei said flatly._

_"I am yourself." The Master argued. "I'm a part of you whether or not you like to admit it."_

_"I admit it. You're the part of him that's a jackass." Jyun deadpanned. Koschei nodded at that before closing his eyes and vanishing from the Dreamscape._

* * *

><p>The Doctor knelt carefully next to Koschei's unconscious form on the ground, patting his cheek.<p>

"Time to get up now Kos. It's not safe here." He murmered, but got no response.

"Doctor." Father Octavian said, walking briskly towards him. "We're completely surrounded. My men have confirmed the Angels have blocked all exits. There's no way out."

"There's always a way out." The Doctor muttered distractedly, not looking up. He grabbed Koschei's shoulder and shook him gently.

"DOCTOR!" The Bishop snapped, reaching out to grab him.

"Oh, I wouldn't." River warned him. Amy quickly moved to sit next to him and was relieved to see a pair of deep ochre eyes open and look up at them as she did. The Doctor let out a relieved sigh, giving his now conscious companion's shoulder a little squeeze before jumping to his feet and turning to the others.

"Right, we're in a trap, a very good trap. All passageways blocked." He thought aloud, eyes scanning the area around him. Koschei looked up at Amy questioningly as he heard this.

"But you can find a way out." River prompted. The Doctor nodded distractedly as he considered a possible solution.

"Who are you?" Amy asked after pulling Koschei to his feet, studying him carefully.

"Koschei again. Sorry for whatever he may have done in my absence. I shouldn't have run."

"Sir!" A soldier exclaimed as his radio crackled to life. "I don't understand. I turned it off."

"It's the Angels." The Doctor explained quickly, holding a hand out for the offending device which the man instantly handed over. "This is this is the Doctor. What's your problem?"

"Your power's running out Sir. We will be with you shortly, Sir. Sorry Sir." The Angel using Bob's voice informed him blandly.

"So why the call then? Why are you telling me this?"

"There's something the Angels wish to tell you Sir."

"Which is?"

"I died afraid." The Doctor's expression froze at this. "You told me that my fear would help me, Sir, but you were wrong and I died afraid and alone. I died in pain, Sir."

Koschei let out a deep feral growl, sounding more like one of Earth's big cats than any human. A couple of the soldiers flinched slightly at the sound.

"Why is it doing that?" Amy asked quietly.

"It's trying to distract him. It wants to make him angry." River explained, her voice equally quiet.

"Sorry?" The Doctor questioned.

"I trusted you, Sir. I trusted you, and when it really mattered, you let me down. The Angels were quite keen for you to know."

"That was the Angel's second mistake. I am not going to let that pass." The Doctor said before turning back to the others.

"Mistake Sir?" The Angel asked, but the Doctor just ignored it. The Doctor looked at Amy.

"Do you trust me?" Amy smiled slightly and nodded. He turned to River.

"Trust me?"

"Always."

He looked at the soldiers, who nodded.

"We have faith, Sir." The Bishop affirmed.

"And I already know you do." The Doctor told Koschei, who winked at him. The Doctor held out a hand toward the Bishop. "Alright, give me your gun. I'm about to do something incredibly stupid and dangerous, and when I do, I want you to jump as high as you possibly can."

"What's the signal?" Father Octavian asked, looking a bit dubious.

"Oh!" Koschei said as he caught on. "Believe me, you won't miss it."

"Sir. Come in, sir." The Angel called over the radio.

"Here I am. What is it?" The Doctor replied pointing the gun at something up above.

"You mentioned a mistake, Sir. What mistake would that be?"

The Doctor opened his mouth to reply, but Koschei beat him to it.

"Oh, in my experience it's pretty much impossible to keep Theta anywhere he doesn't want to be." He remarked with just the faintest hint of bitterness lacing his voice. The Doctor looked a bit annoyed by this. "What, did I ruin your dramatic moment?"

The Doctor huffed and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'yes' and then fired the gun.

A few moments later Amy was rubbing her head and watching as the others got back up off the ground, except Koschei who had somehow, annoyingly, landed quite gracefully on his feet, and the Doctor, who had simply popped back up the moment he'd landed, completely uneffected by the fall. _~Of course he did. That's just what he's like, isn't it?~_ The Doctor held out a hand to help her up and she took it as Koschei went over to help the others with something that looked suspiciously hatchlike.

"You alright?" The Doctor asked.

"I think so. Where are we?" The Doctor smiled and pointed up at the ceiling - no, not the ceiling. "The ships gravity field is still active. All I had to do is cause a power surge, and with one big jump, we all fell up here."

"Doctor!" River called from the now open hatch, and they hurried over and climbed in. "Tell me we've lost them."

Just then the lights flickered.

"No, sorry. They're still chasing us. I just gave us a head start." The Doctor informed them. A moment later an alarm sounded and the door at the end of the corridor began to slide shut with alarming speed.

"No!" Both Timelords exclaimed, darting for the closing door, but it shut before either could stop it. The Doctor tried to sonic it, then shook his head. "Sorry."

"Zi'jaien!" Koschei cursed, hitting the door in frustration.

"Language." The Doctor told him sternly. There was an ominous slamming sound quickly following that admonition as the Angels landed on the other side of the outer hatch. "Okay, nobody panic."

The lights flickered as they all looked at him for a moment before the soldiers silently moved into a defensive position, pointing their guns at the now partially open hatch.

"So, just me then." The Doctor remarked before pulling open the panel on the wall to River's right. The lights flickered again and now an Angel leaned in through the open hatch.

"Doctor! The lights!" Amy exclaimed.

"What's down there?" Koschei asked, indicating the sealed door with a nod as he pried open the console by the door. The Doctor sonic-ed a few wires as the lights flickered again, and there were three Angels now in front of them.

"The secondary flight deck." River replied, still staring wide-eyed at the Angels, and he nodded. The lights stopped flickering as the Doctor turned and crossed over to study the circuitry Koschei had exposed.

"What did you do?" Father Octavian asked, not taking his eyes off the three intruders.

"I isolated the circuit." The Doctor replied as he and Koschei studied the door controls. "The Angels can't drain any more power from the locking system."

"Good work Doctor." The Bishop replied approvingly. Koschei made a suspicious sounding noncommital noise in his throat.

"Well..." The Doctor began, exchanging a look with the other alien.

"What is it?" River asked tensely. Koschei looked grimly over at them.

"The only way to get the door open is to reroute all the power to the door release."

"So-" The Bishop began.

"Including the lights." The Doctor added. There was a brief, though seemingly never-ending silence as everyone digested this new information.

"We've lost the torches! We'll be defenseless!" Amy pointed out nervously.

"It's either that or wait here, trapped, until the power runs out." Koschei supplied evenly.

"All you need to do is hold them off until I can get the door open." The Doctor assured Octavian and his men. The Bishop looked over at River.

"Do you trust this man?"

"I absolutely trust him." Was her immediate response.

"So he's not some sort of madman then."

"I absolutely trust him." She repeated. He paused for a moment, thinking it over before he turned to the Doctor.

"Do it." He said moving back into possition. "Clerics take aim."

"You can see in the dark, right?" Amy asked Koschei hopefully.

"Sorry, Bhai. Just very dim light. I'm a mutant, not a magician." The lights went out and the soldiers began to fire with the Angels slowly inching closer in between shots. Amy and Koschei pushed the door open as soon as they could manage and they all hurried through with the Doctor sealing the door shut behind them and rushing over to unseal the door to the flight deck. They ran in, this time with Father Octavian bringing up their tail and the soldiers hurried to magnetically seal all three doors as soon as they were all inside.

"There that should keep them back. Nothing could-" Father Octavian's mouth fell open as the latch very slowly and gradually began to turn.

"Humans." Koschei remarked, shaking his head.

"But how can they?" Father Octavian questioned in amazement.

"Time and patience." The Doctor replied, flitting about the main control center.

"We're surrounded." River observed as the latches on the other two doors began to turn.

"Clerics, guard those doors." Octavian ordered before turning to the Doctor. "How long have we got?"

"Five minutes, max."

"Ten." said Amy rather abruptly.

"No, five." The Doctor insisted.

"Okay five." She said, giving him a funny look.

"You said, 'ten.'"

"No I didn't."

"We need to find a way out of here." River reminded them.

"There isn't one." The Bishop replied darkly.

"Yes there is." The Doctor countered.

"Do tell." Koschei prompted as the Doctor fluttered about excitedly.

"Galaxy class ships are designed to go years without planet fall which means they would need..." The Doctor explained animatedly, trailing of as he moved a crate and then humming happily as he exposed a hidden clamp.

"Oh! Of course!" River gasped and leapt forward to help him move the crates.

"Of course what?" Amy asked, still not following. "Nine."

"What?" Koschei asked.

"What would they need?" Amy clarified, Koschei studied her for a moment before answering.

"Oxygen. Humans need oxygen." Koschei stated moving past her to join in.

"So?"

"You are going to love this." The Doctor told her with a grin. "Got all the clamps?"

Koschei nodded and the Doctor and River pulled up the large door revealing the seemingly endless cavern full of trees and moss.

"It's a forest!" Amy exclaimed.

"It's an oxygen factory." River corrected.

"But it's a forest!"

"Cool isn't it?" The Doctor responded brightly. Amy smiled and nodded.

"Eight." The Doctor narrowed his eyes.

"Eight?"

"Doctor?" Amy questioned

"You just said, 'eight.' Why did you do that?"

"I didn't."

"Yes, actually, you did." River contradicted.

"And just a moment before we undid the clamps you said, 'nine.'" Koschei added.

"What? I..."Amy muttered "That's seven."

Amy's brow furrowed.

"I meant seven." Her eyes widened. "No! Silly! I meant silly."

The radio crackled.

"Doctor. Come in Doctor."

"I'm here." The Doctor answered not looking away from Amy.

"We'll soon have drained all the power and when we do you won't be able to keep us out any longer."

"How nice for you. Not a terribly interesting topic, though. Tell me what've you done to Amy?" The Doctor said, taking a seat in the captain's chair.

"There's an Angel in her mind."

"Yes, right, I know that, but why is it making her count down?"

"To frighten her, Sir."

"Why?" Koschei asked sounding extremely annoyed.

"For fun, Sir." Koschei let out an impatient sigh at the response, as if he found this conversation to be entirely beneath him. "Any other reasons, perhaps?"

"We will be with you shortly, Sir. You are surrounded. You can't keep us out forever, Sir. When we get in we will absorb enough power to spread across the galaxy, Sir, and you will not be able to stop us."

"What? That's ridiculous. Even if you absorb all the energy from this Spaceliner you won't come close to that amount of power." The Doctor replied incredulously.

"There is, Sir. You haven't noticed it, Sir? The Angels sense it right there with you."

"What does six mean?" Amy asked then closed her eyes for a moment, correcting herself and beginning to scan their surroundings. "**It**. I meant what does **it**...Oh. Oh no."

There it was in the plating above the doors. A big glowing crack.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Thanks to all of you for reading. Special thanks to Yanna and Jim Moriarty for reviewing. My apologies for the wait. It's been a busy week though. Hopefully the next will be easier. Much love goes out to those of you that spot the old-school Star Trek reference. I just had to put it in. It was simply necessary. Please, do review. I'd like to hear what you think.

Zi'jaien (Zee-jeye-yen)- A curse word, literal meaning rancid. Closest cultural equivalent would be shit, though it's culturally a bit harsher putting it a little closer to fuck on the profanity scale.


	22. The Cracks Begin to Show

Pulling out his sonic-screwdriver, the Doctor looked up at the long, thin, glowing crack that appeared to be in the metal plating above the exits.

"Alright everyone out, now, into the forest." He ordered, moving a crate. He hopped up onto it to scan the crack, muttering to himself. "Oooh, mmm, that's bad. That's very, very not good."

"Theta-" Koschei began.

"Go on. I'll be right behind you." The Doctor interrupted.

"We can't just leave you!" Amy argued.

"Now, please!" The Doctor commanded looking over at Koschei and River. River nodded and they began to do as told with the soldiers quickly following suit. Koschei sent the Doctor a glance over his shoulder as he left, that clearly said, 'If you get yourself killed, I will bring you back and electrocute you.' The Doctor tried to ignore it.

As they made their way through the forest, Koschei moved a little closer to Amy. She was walking more slowly than the others, and when Koschei fell back to talk with her, he was slightly annoyed to notice River slowing her pace a bit, too, obviously keeping watch on him. _~What an utterly obnoxious woman! She doesn't even realize how suspect she is herself. As if she's fooling anyone.~_ He thought irritably, before Amy stumbled and grabbed his arm in order to regain her balance, snapping him out of his snarky thoughts.

"Sorry, Five." She mumbled quietly, flinching slightly at the unintentional addition.

"It's alright, Bhai." He replied, pausing a moment before adding. "That crack, you recognized it. How is that? What do you know about it?"

"It just looked like something I saw before. I'm not sure..." She faltered, stumbling again.

"Amy?" River asked, looking back at them. "What's wrong?"

Amy didn't respond. Her eyes looked glazed and unfocused as she took another unsteady step forward. Koschei gently grasped her arm, studying her face carefully.

"Four." She muttered, sounding short of breath.

"Amy?" River tried again.

"Ooh, I think she's going to..." Koschei said, catching Amy as her legs gave out,"collapse."

River darted forward and helped him lead Amy over to a flat, stoney outcropping to lay her down. She quickly used her wrist strap to check her vitals.

"Amy, sweetheart, can you hear me?" She asked in a soothing tone. Amy nodded weakly.

"What is this?" She asked.

"Dr. Song." The Bishop snapped impatiently. River just kept fussing over Amy. Koschei ignored him, as well, motioning with his hand for her to show him the results of her scan, and she obliged. Koschei winced slightly at said results."We need to keep moving." insisted the Bishop.

Koschei glared at him, opening his mouth to say something undoubtedly quite rude.

"We wait for the Doctor." River said, shortly, before he could.

"Our mission-"

"Oh be quiet." Koschei cut in, sternly. "Either help, or be quiet. You're going to wait, if only because you have no idea what you're dealing with and the Doctor and I do."

"How dare you-?"

"I dislike you. The Doctor doesn't. Shut up and wait."

"Three." Amy added, grabbing Koschei's hand shakily.

"Koschei, stop cutting him off." River admonished him."Honestly- Oh there you are!"

"Yes, here I am." The Doctor replied, trotting up to kneel beside Koschei. "What's happening?"

Koschei held River's wrist up so the Doctor could see Amy's vitals, ignoring the look River directed at him.

"Oh, dear." The Doctor commented.

"What is it?" Amy nearly whispered." What's happening to me?"

"You're dying."

"Doctor!" River exclaimed, sounding shocked. Then to Koschei, as she extricated her wrist, she added heatedly, "Do you mind?"

"Ah, yes, ignore reality; that'll solve it." Koschei remarked.

"Okay, so what's wrong with Amy? She looked into the eyes of a Weeping Angel and now she's got an Angel in her mind, tricking her perception, then making her count down, but why? Count down to what?" The Doctor thought aloud.

"Doctor, it's coming. I can feel it. You have to stop it." Amy pleaded. The Doctor shushed her.

"It's in her neural pathways. It's shutting her down." Koschei said, standing to face the Doctor. "So how do we kill it?"

"Koschei..." Amy whispered, reaching out her hand. River grasped it gently, stopping her. "Two."

"Shh, relax, Dear. Let them think." River told her in a calming tone.

"It's like the Angel on the screen. It's image is in the visual cortex of her brain." Mused the Doctor.

"It's using her eyes to keep itself active, coming to shut her down," Koschei continued.

"It's there because she can see it." The Doctor concluded.

"Shut off the screen." They both said in unison, dropping back down by Amy.

"Shut your eyes." The Doctor ordered. Amy shook her head.

"Don't want to."

"That's not you. That's the Angel. Come on, Amelia. Trust me."

Amy took a deep breath and did as she was told. River watched her screen for a moment before letting out the breath she'd been holding.

"It worked. She's stablizing." She reported. Both Timelords exchanged a relieved look.

"Does that mean it's alright to open my eyes now?" Amy asked.

"No, not yet, I'm sorry. We've stopped the Angel for now but we haven't stopped the countdown. If you open your eyes for more than a second it'll kill you." The Doctor explained. "I'll find a way to fix this, Amy. I promise."

Amy took a deep breath.

"Right." The Doctor sighed and gave her hand a little squeeze. Koschei indicated Octavian with a nod. The man was waiting quite agitatedly for the Doctor's full attention. The Timelords had tuned him out as he reported the approach of several Angels and he was more than a little ticked that they were now almost surrounded, due, in part, to that fact.

"Doctor, we're too exposed here. We must keep moving." Father Octavian insisted.

"No, no. Amy can't move, and anyway, that's not the plan." The Doctor replied popping up onto a log and looking around them.

"You have a plan?" River asked hopefully.

"Don't know, I'm not done talking yet." The Doctor replied, "Okay, Bishop, you and your men stay here and look after Amy...you too Koschei."

Koschei opened his mouth to protest but the Doctor just kept on talking.

"If anything happens to her, I am going to hold each of you personally responsible, twice. Alright then, River, you're with me. We're going to find the primary flight deck which is... a quarter of a mile that way. From there we're going to stabilize the wreckage, stop the Angels, and cure Amy."

"How?" River asked.

"I'm gonna do a thing."

"Ah yes, a thing." Koschei remarked amused.

"That's what I said." The Doctor replied quickly "Respect the thing."

"Doctor, I'm going with you." The Bishop announced.

"Are you now." The Doctor replied lightly.

"My clerics will look after your friends. These are my best men. They would lay down their lives for their protection."

"I don't need you."

"I don't care. Where Dr. Song goes, I go."

Koschei smirked smugly at this new development. The Doctor looked questioningly at River.

"Is that so?"

"Yes." River said a bit tensely. The Doctor studied them both closely for a moment before seeming to come back to life.

"Fine. Come along. We don't have all day." He called, hurrying off toward the flight deck.

"Doctor!" Amy called after them. "Wait, let us come with you!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Pond. You'd slow us down." Father Octavian called back.

"I'll be back soon I promise. Koschei will look after you." The Doctor assured her.

* * *

><p>As they walked through the forest together in their quest for the primary flight deck, the relative silence was beginning to make the Doctor uncomfortable. He toyed with the scanner as he questioned River, only half paying attention to her.<p>

"So why the clingy Bishop? Are you two engaged or something?"

"In a sense." She replied. "Jealous?"

"Mmm." He hummed distractedly, now far more focused on his scans. She sighed and slowed her pace, waiting for him to catch up with her.

"What is that?"

"What?" He asked, finally looking up.

"What were you looking at?" She clarified.

"Oh, scans of the crack in the wall."

"Can you tell what it is?" She asked

"It would appear to be the end of the universe."

"How can crack in the wall be the end of the universe?"

"I don't know. If it is what I think it is, at some point in time and space, there's going to be a massive explosion. So powerful it cracks the fabric of our reality."

"Is that even possible?"

"How can you two be engaged 'in a sense?'" The Doctor shot back.

River stopped for a moment.

"Oh, well I guess I'm just a sucker for a man in uniform." At which point Father Octavian lost his patience and turned back to clarify the situation.

"Dr. Song is in my personal custody." He explained. "I released her from the Stormcage containment facility four days ago and I am legally responsible for her until she has accomplished her mission and earned her pardon. Just so we understand each other."

"You're in Stormcage." The Doctor said with a wry smile before a noise from the scanner caught their attention.

"What is that?" River asked as he held up the scanner.

"It's tracking down the original source of the explosion." he explained watching as the characters settled into their final arrangement on the screen. "Oh..."

"What is it?"

"It's Amy's time."

* * *

><p>"Hey, talk to me, guys." Amy said, sounding bored and irritable."What's happening out there?"<p>

"The Angels are still grouping." The commander called back to her. Then there was a soft tearing sound, followed by a slightly more ominous hum, like machines powering down. Koschei who was sitting just in front of Amy and to her right, tensed. She felt his shoulder brush her knee as he sat up straighter.

"What was that?" As if in answer the lights began to flicker.

"You getting this too?"

"The trees, yeah."

"What what's wrong with the trees?" Amy asked, wishing she could just take a look to see what was happening.

"Here, too, sir." Another soldier reported. "They're ripping the tree boards apart.

"And here." Another continued. "They're taking out the lights."

Koschei cursed.

"They're what?" Amy exclaimed."Will someone explain to me what's happenning? I can't see!"

"The Angels are taking out the trees, and with them, our light source." Koschei explained.

"Angels advancing Sir."

"Over here too."

"Alright," The commander ordered. " Weapons primed, combat distance: 5 feet; wait for it."

"What!" Amy exclaimed both scared and frustrated. Koschei shushed her and grabbed her arm to keep her sitting down.

"Hold your positions, and Ma'am, keep your eyes shut."

"Just stay down, Bhai. The Angels are closing in, let the clerics do their job." Koschei whispered to her.

"Koschei?" She whispered back grabbing the hand holding her wrist and hanging on tightly.

"I'm thinking." He assured her.

"Wait." The commander called to his men. The Angels were advancing, but slowly. Then he frowned in confusion. They seemed to have stopped, and then a bright light filtered through the trees.

"The ship's not on fire, is it?" A soldier asked thoughtfully.

"No way. The ships systems would have kicked in by now and eliminated it before it could spread that far," said another.

"Sir, the Angels are gone!"

"Here, too."

"It looks like they're retreating."

"What the hell?" The Commander muttered, turning to the others. "What in the world could scare those things?"

"Amy opened her mouth to ask about the light they were all talking about, when she felt a soft, warm weight slump against her legs. Koschei's hand had gone limp in her own. He was unconscious, most likely transitioning._~Oh, wonderful.~_

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Okay, guys I admit I meant for this chapter to be longer but alas this turned out to be the easiest stopping point. I didn't have as much time to work on this as I had hoped, due in part to illness and then to busyness. Sorry about that. Please don't hate me. The next chapter may therefore end up longer than expected but, oh well...Thank you all for reading. Special thanks to Yanna and Bunyipbabe for reviewing. As always please review.


	23. Defying Gravity

"What's happening now?" Amy asked, proud of how level her voice sounded.

"There's a sort of bright light shining from something close by." The commander told her. "It looks like the Angels are running."

* * *

><p>Father Octaivian was crouched impatiently by the hatch that led from the oxygen factory to the primary flight deck. Well, it hadn't been so much a hatch as a window, and he was doing his best to get it opened up so they could get through it as quickly as possible. River stood to his right doing scans. The Doctor was farthest from him still trying to figure out the mysterious crack in reality.<p>

"River! Get in. Hurry." The Bishop ordered as he finally got the thing open safely. She immediately obeyed. "Doctor."

"What if time could be erased?" The Doctor thought aloud.

"Doctor, there isn't much time. The Angels-" Father Octiavian warned, only to be cut off by one of said Angels grabbing him round the neck. The Doctor spun to look at them, startled. He scanned the Weeping Angel with his sonic-screwdriver, looking for a weakness.

"Let him go." He ordered tensely.

"It can't let me go Doctor. You're looking at it."

"I can't look away. It'll kill you." The Doctor replied not halting in his futile search.

"Sir, listen. There's nothing you can do."

"You're dead if I leave you."

"Yes, Sir. I am dead and I will have died knowing I led others to safety." The Bishop assured him. The Doctor shook his head. "But I must warn you before you go-"

"I'm not leaving."

"Before you go, you must know that you cannot trust River Song."

"I'm not going anywhere." The Doctor insisted stubbornly.

"Yes you are, Sir. Your friends are counting on you. You must make it out of here."

"Just tell me why she was in Stormcage."

"She killed a man." Octavian told him looking him straight in the eye. "A good man, a hero."

"Who?"

"I cannot tell you that, and believe me, you do not want to know."

"Who?"

"You have to get out of here Sir! The Angels are coming."

"You'll die."

"I am ready Sir." Octavian replied. "Live well for me."

* * *

><p>"They're running? Running from what?" Amy asked incredulously.<p>

"Good question. Phillip, Crispin, go check that out. Report back when you've made visual contact." The commander said, crouching down next to her. "Marco, you stay here with us."

"What is it? What are you all looking at?"

"I'm not sure. It's like some sort of energy curtain." The commander said. "It's like nothing I've seen before. It makes you feel...strange."

"I've got to take a look at it." Amy decided aloud.

"Ma'am, you can't. you can't open your eyes or you'll die."

"I can. I just have to be really quick about it. Just point me in the right direction. Is it this way?"

"Ma'am..."

She began to squint, speculatively towards her left, mindful not to disturb the limp Timelord draped across her lap. The commander sighed, gently tilting her head a little more to her right with a touch.

"Just a second. Understood?" She nodded and opened her eyes, and gasped.

"It's just like the crack in my wall! It's exactly the same! But no it can't be... how can it be?"

"Ma'am, your eyes!" The commander warned.

"It's like it's following me!" Amy exclaimed, transfixed, even as she began to weaken.

"You have to shut your eyes!"

"It's just like when I was a little girl!"

"Oh for-!" A pale hand reached up and covered her eyes."Honestly, must I do everything?"

The commander checked her pulse.

"Ma'am, are you alright?"

Amy nodded.

"Thank you Master." She muttered, uncomfortably. "They're staying shut now, I promise."

He pulled his hand away.

"Got it on the first try."

"Jyun doesn't lose his patience." She felt the Master nod.

"I'm gonna go check that out." The other cleric, Marco declared.

"Right." and then he was gone.

"What?" Amy exclaimed. "No wait! Why didn't he just wait for the others?"

"What others?" Asked the commander.

"The other clerics you sent to check it out." Amy explained, anxiously. "Um.. Crispin and Phillip. You sent them to check just a moment ago."

"I don't know anyone named Crispin or Phillip." The commander replied sounding confused.

"Yes you do! You sent them just a few minutes before you sent Marco!"

"Marco?" The question sent a chill down Amy's spine.

"You forgot Marco." She whispered shakily. "You can't remember, but you have to believe me. They were here with us, and after they left, you forgot, but they were right here."

"I'm sorry, Ma'am, but I don't know what you're talking about. It's just been the three of us here."

"No it hasn't." Amy argued shaking her head. "Tell him Master! They were just here!"

"They were, actually." The Master replied conversationally, sitting up and removing himself hastily. "Not that it matters."

"What are you on about?" The commander asked, sounding distracted. "Listen, both of you stay here a minute. I need to go check that out."

"No." Amy insisted shaking her head again. "No. You can't. Please, listen to me-"

The Master put a hand to her arm.

"It's no use." He told her quietly. "You can't talk him out of it. He's been hypnotised."

Amy's head snapped to her right to face him even if she couldn't see.

"What?"

"Listen, I'll keep in radio contact the whole way. It'll only be a short look." The commander said before heading off. Amy grabbed the radio quickly, even as she continued to question the Timelord next to her.

"What do you mean, 'hypnotized'?"

"He's being drawn in by the light in what you so quaintly call the, 'crack.' It's leaking quite a bit of telepathic radiation. If one looks at it, it begins to lead them in. I sensed it as soon as I manifested."

"Miss Pond, do you read me?" Came the voice over the radio.

"Yes, I'm here."

"I've reached the anomaly." The Master let out a scoff. Amy glared in his general direction.

"Right, you've seen it then. Now come back." She said into her radio.

"It's a lost cause, Pond. He's as good as gone." The Master informed her in a detached tone.

"It's so bright here. You're right. It looks like some sort of crack... but there's no wall."

"Alright. I got it. Just come back, please." Amy tried again stubbornly.

"Now you're just torturing yourself. He's too close." The Master hummed unsympathetically and regarded his fingernails critically.

"I can't just let him die!" Amy argued. She thought perhaps she could actually feel the Master's irritated scowl land on her. There was an uncomfortable silence broken by his next observation.

"Masochist." It was her turn to scoff. "Or fool. I'm pretty sure it's one of those."

"Hey, say something. Are you still there?" She called over the radio, deciding just to ignore the Master for now.

"Yeah, sorry to worry you, Ma'am. I'm still here." Amy let her head fall forward, relieved. "The light, it's so bright here. It feels...very..strange. Like-"

The line went dead.

"Like what?" Amy asked worriedly. "Are you still there? Like what? Hello?"

"He's gone." The Master said, taking the radio out of her slightly trembling hand. "The light's too strong now. We have to move."

Amy grabbed his hand in a death grip.

"Don't you dare-"

"I wasn't going to. Come on, this way." He told her flatly, pulling her to her feet and beginning to lead her farther into the forest. "Where'd he say he was headed?"

"Flight deck. It was that way, I think." Amy said, pointing the way she thought seemed right.

"Perfect." The Master remarked sarcastically. He tried the radio. "Doctor, come in."

Nothing.

"Doctor. Answer me. I know you kept the radio to talk to the Angels so don't waste my time."

"He's probably just busy." Amy said, not really wanting to deal with an angry Master. She got the impression he had a comparatively short temper.

"Doctor." The Master snapped, ignoring Amy's comment.

"Master?" Came the eventual reply. "When did you transition?"

"This isn't a social call."

"Right. We're on the primary flight deck. I can lead you to us with my sonic...there. Just follow the sounds. How's Amy?"

"I've been better." Amy informed him truthfully. "The clerics are all gone. They all just went toward the light and then disappeared, one after another. The Master said it was drawing them in. They couldn't even remember each other."

"Yes, well they wouldn't."

"You have a theory Doctor." The Master replied as he stopped to help lead Amy over a fallen log. "Do share it."

"They're cracks in the material of reality, not just cracks but rifts, places where two points in time and space are being pulled together that should never have been able to come into contact. Like the crack in the wall when you were small. Remember Amy? Prisoner Zero?"

"Yes, of course I remember but what are they?" Amy responded impatiently.

"Oh, well, somewhere out in time and space there is a massive explosion going on. One so powerful it's actually tearing apart time and space itself, unwriting history."

There was movement on their left.

"Doctor..." The Master prompted hearing it echoed by River on the other end.

"Looks like the Angels are running from the light as well now. A lot of them are headed your way. They'll be distracted though so you should be able to slip past them."

"Not to be a nag Doctor, but could we perhaps implement a swifter exit strategy?" The Master asked, noticing the sheer number of Weeping Angels in the forest around them.

"A moment please." Came River's voice and the comm fell silent. The Master studied the area around them thoughtfully before leaning closer to whisper in Amy's ear.

"Listen carefully Miss Pond. We are now surrounded by Angels." Amy tensed and held onto his hand a little tighter. "There are too many for me to keep watch on all of them alone. You have to pretend that you can see them."

Amy shook her head and stopped walking, beginning to panic.

"I can't."

"Yes you can." He contradicted. She still hesitated."Move!"

Amy jumped at the order, but then she swallowed and started moving again.

"Don't you dare let go of my hand." She shot back weakly. _~You bastard.~_ She added mentally.

"Doctor." The Master prompted.

"Working on it." River replied. "Give us a minute."

"I truly hate that woman." The Master announced pushing Amy to move a little faster as a couple Angels appeared behind them a little too close for comfort. "Hmm, this is problematic."

"Master?" Amy asked.

"They're getting too close." He replied matter of factly. "It's only a matter of time before-"

Amy heard the sound of something heavy and stoney moving close-by, behind the Master and then let out a little scream as he was yanked away from her too quickly for her to react. She fell forward landing hard on her chest on the forest floor. She heard the radio bounce on the ground as it fell somewhere next to her.

"Master!" She called out, face turned as if to look back at him as she patted the ground around her in her search for the radio.

"It's a bit more to your right." He replied more calmly than she felt was rational under the circumstances. "I'd hurry if I were you."

"Hurry?" Amy echoed before she registered what he was implying. "Wait. I am _not _going to just let it kill you!"

"Oh, that. I've done it a few times. It's actually not as exciting as it sounds. Run along."

"What?"

"You can't hold this one off forever, let alone all the others. Just grab the radio and run." The Master argued "It's got me by the arm. That'll buy me few seconds. You were beginning to annoy me anyway."

"Are you insane?" Amy shot back, finally grabbing the damned radio.

"Yes, actually, and you?"

"Doctor? Doctor, we need to get out of here now!" She tried, praying the stupid thing wasn't broken. "Doctor! River! Are you getting this?"

"Miss Pond, I know you're scared. We are surrounded by Angels and I can't come to help you up-" The Master insisted with forced calm, adding quickly, "Not that I'm saying I would, but if you don't get it together, we are **both** going to die. So push yourself up off the ground and run for your life like a good little monkey."

"You can insult me all you want! I'm not abandoning you!" The Master scoffed.

"Oh Rassilon, make it stop. She's getting sentimental!" He then tensed as Amy tried the radio again, completely oblivious to the Angel reaching out to grab her. He snapped his gaze over to it. It was only inches away from grabbing her neck. If he blinked she'd die, which of course, naturally, cued his strong urge to blink.

"Amy! What-?" Came the Doctor's voice over the radio.

"Get her out of here. Now!" The Master ordered in a tone that brooked no argument.

"Master!" Amy exclaimed as she vanished in a flash of bright light.

* * *

><p>"No! You can't!" Amy protested as she reappeared on the flight deck, falling forward into River's arms.<p>

"Whoa, easy. I've got you." River told the struggling woman. "You're safe. You're on the Primary-"

"Doctor, you have to get him out of there! An Angel's got him and it's going to kill him now I'm not there to stop it!" Amy yelled over her. The Doctor and River leapt into action hurrying over to the controls and trying to pinpoint his body's signature. Amy followed the sound of their voices until she was leaning on a console behind River.

"I've got a lock on his signal but he's moving too much for me to transport him." River snapped, smacking the side of the console impatiently. The Doctor darted over to join her and began to sonic it.

"Just a little bit..." He muttered, fussing with the controls.

"They're closing in!" River reported "He's almost completely surrounded."

"Almost... Now!" The Doctor said hitting the final button. River ran over to help the Master as he appeared in a flash of light on the transmat pad.

"Master! Are you alright?" Amy asked, hearing the Doctor draw in a sharp breath.

"He's bleeding and ooh..." River explained. "That's dislocated isn't it?"

"That much is obvious." Came the Master's pained reply.

"What happened to your shirt?" River asked as the Doctor moved to help.

"Hold still. This is going to hurt." The Doctor told him.

The Master grunted in pain as the Doctor returned his shoulder to its rightful place.

"It's with the Angels now." He quipped roughly. The console next to Amy started beeping.

"Umm, what's that mean?"

"Oh, That... Careful." The Doctor said, ducking under the Master's good arm to help him over to the station across from Amy, obviously wanting to keep him in arm's reach. "That means the power is about to fail, which means... The screen is going to release."

As he said this, the screen released, opening to reveal the large number of Angels waiting patiently in the forest on the other side.

"Hello Angels! Need something?" The Doctor called energetically.

"Yes sir. The crack is spreading, Sir. If it isn't stopped it will consume us all and everything else in this system." Said the stolen voice they'd all become far too familiar with.

"Ah, yes. Angel Bob." The Doctor responded with just a hint of bitterness in his voice. "That's correct. Your point being?"

"The Angels believe that a complex space-time event will fill the void and seal the crack before it can consume us. We estimate that if you sacrifice yourself it will allow us to escape."

The Master snorted in amusement and leaned casually against the console. The Doctor flashed him a small smile.

"That's true, it would." The Doctor admitted. "But why would I do that?"

"Because your friends would escape also." Angel Bob replied simply. The Doctor's smile faltered slightly. River, noticing this, rushed over to him.

"Doctor, no. You can't really be considering this." She told him, looking from him to the Angels and back again. He ignored her. "There has to be another way out of this. I've travelled in time. I'm a complicated space-time event. Throw_ me _in."

"No River. Don't be ridiculous... besides the Weeping Angels are far more complicated and it would take all of them to equal a temporal event like me. Now there's really not a lot of time left. So I suggest you just hold on."

"Doctor I can't let you do this."

"No, River I mean it, you just need to **hold on**." The Doctor repeated with a meaningful look.

"I...Oh!" She said returning to the console and leading Amy's hand over to the handle on the side of the console, whispering to her quietly. "Hold on tightly dear. Whatever you do, don't let go."

"The fact is, Angels, while you've been here, you've been draining every ounce of energy in this ship, and soon you will have actually done just that." The Doctor said, backing toward the console the Master was leaning against. "I think that you have forgotten where you're standing because, as you know, Weeping Angels are heavy like stone. Weeping Angels can't fly."

He turned around and grabbed onto the console just as the artificial-gravity faltered, then failed, causing them to bounce for a moment. Not a big problem for the Doctor, Amy and River, but unfortunate for the Weeping Angels and the Master who had been plastered to the other side of the console-become-ledge. He was flipped over said makeshift ledge when the gravity fluctuated, just managing to catch onto the edge as the Angels began to fall into the gaping crack beneath them.

"Master!" The Doctor cried out, his eyes widening in horror as he saw his oldest friend's hand began to slip. Bright golden eyes flickered up to meet his own, sparkling in the bright light from the crack before shifting back, too stare stubbornly up at his failing grip. "No-no-no **NO!**"

The Doctor reached out reflexively with one arm, just managing to grab the Master as he lost grip and fell past him. The Master latched onto him tightly enough to leave a bruise.

"Don't you _dare_ let me fall!" The slighter Timelord hissed angrilly to cover his fear.

"Never." The Doctor replied simply. Followed by a nervous laugh...

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Oh holy shit this chapter turned out long! Didn't it? Sorry.. I did warn you last time though. Thanks for reading! I may have enjoyed the literalness of this cliff hanger too much. I hope you'll forgive me. And the Master's back yay! He's sooo fun to write, probably another reason for this chapters epic length. Special thanks to GuesssWho for reviewing.


	24. Where There's Fire There's Smoke

Finally back on solid ground, the Doctor paced across the sand, deep in thought, as they waited for the ship to come to collect River Song and return her to Stormcage. Amy just sat and watched him solemnly from her seat on a nearby rock, occasionally glancing over at River who was standing patiently at the beam-site, not nearly as moody as Amy or the Doctor felt.

"Why the pacing?" Piped in the gravelly voice of the apparently not-so-unconcious alien lying on the sand near Amy's feet. River actually jumped at the unexpected sound The Doctor quickly plopped down to sit beside his injured friend.

"I was thinking. How long have you been awake?" He responded eagerly, checking him over again to make sure there were no hidden injuries.

"A little over a minute. Why don't I have a shirt on?" Came the deadpan reply.

"Really?" Amy asked. "You've got a slash down your arm and a dislocated shoulder. That doesn't bother you more?"

"It's not a question of bother. The Master was obviously involved in a physical struggle which was apparently dangerous enough to disturb the Doctor, causing him to pace. The lack of a shirt is inexplicable."

River chuckled at that.

"You lost your shirt escaping the Weeping Angels." The Doctor explained. "I got you a blanket."

"There weren't any shirts available after we escaped?"

"Jyun, you almost..." The Doctor began before visibly collecting himself, rubbing the back of his neck. "I was preoccupied."

"..." After Jyun continued to stare unblinkingly up at him for a while, the Doctor looked away, at a point on the rock beside Amy's legs, and blinked rapidly in sympathy, one hand absent-mindedly toying with an edge of Jyun's blanket.

"I get it: you want a shirt." The Doctor replied before getting up and walking over to River. Clearly not fetching the requested shirt. River sighed, smiling mischievously.

"Ah Doctor: you, me, handcuffs. Must it always end this way?" She quipped.

"So, back to Stormcage with you then, River?" The Doctor asked, ignoring her attempt at humor.

"Afraid so. Who knows? Maybe this time I've done enough to be granted a pardon." She agreed, and the Doctor nodded.

"Father Octavian told me that you killed a man. Is that true?" River sobered.

"Yes, I did." She said locking eyes with the Doctor.

"A good man." He continued, not shifting his gaze.

"A great one." She countered.

"Who was he? Who did you kill?" The Doctor pushed.

"I am sorry, Doctor, but I really can't say." She told him with a smile that didn't reach her eyes, as her wrist strap beeped, indicating the ship's arrival. "It's your future. There are no sneak previews."

"Tell me this then. Can I trust you?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh, you **can**, but then what would be the fun in that?" River said as the Doctor stepped back, allowing room for her transport to lock on to her.

"Goodbye, River Song."

"I'll see you later, Doctor." She replied, before vanishing in a miniature whirlwind just like the ones the clerics had arrived in. Jyun got up off the ground and walked over to join the Doctor as he watched the sunset.

"What is it?" He asked the Doctor, knowing just from the look on the other Timelord's face that the sunset was not what he was truly seeing.

"Just thinking." The Doctor replied.

"Only just?" Jyun pushed, as Amy got up to join them. The Doctor took a deep breath and sighed it back out.

"It has been a very long day." He replied before he seemed to come to a decision. A hint of a smile graced his lips as he turned to look at Jyun. "Time can be rewritten."

* * *

><p>Back in the TARDIS Amy watched as the Doctor navigated their path through the vortex with Jyun occasionally reaching out quietly to make minor adjustments from his seat round the other side of the pillar.<p>

"I want to go home." Amy said suddenly, breaking the companionable silence. The Doctor halted his movements for a moment before giving a short nod. Jyun just studied her face with an expression she didn't know yet. She would later learn it was 'slightly skeptical Jyun'. The Doctor cleared his throat.

"Okay." He said not looking up from the console.  
>"Oh, no, not like that. Just... I just want to stop off there for a bit." Amy reassured, getting up from her seat on the stairs to stand beside the Doctor. "There's something I want to show you."<p>

Jyun rolled his eyes and rose from his seat, heading past them to the staircase.

"Goodnight." He stated blankly without looking at either of them.

"Um, Goodnight." Amy replied awkwardly.

"Jyun?" The Doctor called after him but he just headed to his room without a reply.

Later that evening Koschei padded quietly down the stairs to the empty console room. The Doctor and Amy were still out, he noticed, wondering what exactly they'd gone off to do without Jyun. He shrugged and began searching for sweets. He had just found some hidden under one side of the console, when he noticed one of the screens shift to show a sonometric display. He frowned at it for a moment. It appeared to be an artificial signal of some sort. It didn't seem to him that it really belonged on 21st Century Earth. _~It almost looks like...~_ He was distracted, however, when the Doctor and Amy shuffled into the Tardis with the Doctor saying something about 'sorting her out, right away,' whatever that meant, and Amy apparently trying to snog him. They both caught sight of him at the same moment as he went for the stairs.

"Oh, hi, um..." Amy said uncomfortably.

"Koschei." Koschei deadpanned, then turned and headed up the stairs. The Doctor made an unhappy sound.

"Great." Amy muttered and went after him. His door was already shut when she reached it."Koschei?"

She could hear him moving around inside but he seemed to be ignoring her. She tried the handle. It was locked.

"Listen. I didn't mean to upset you. If I did... Could you please just talk to me about this? I'm not entirely sure why-" She flinched a little at the soft thud she heard on the other side of the door. "Koschei?"

There was silence. Then movement, and footsteps as he came to open the door.

"Miss Pond." He said, answering the door.

"He transitioned rather than talk to me." She observed feeling a little insulted.

"I assume you are referring to Koschei."

Amy nodded. The alien narrowed his eyes considering her.

"Master?"

"I doubt you could make him that angry." He thought aloud. Then grinned suddenly. "What has he done now?"

"I don't think..." Amy replied a little disturbed by his dramatic moodswing. _~Oh dear he looks far too pleased.~_

The Master brushed past her heading down the hall, away from the console room. He did look quite smug about this new development. It was then that she realized they were landing.

* * *

><p>Rory Williams leaned against the bar at his stag party. He was leaving a message on the answering machine of his wife-to-be. He hadn't seen or heard from her since lunch yesterday. This was not terribly unusual for her, but he was having that funny feeling. That nagging, worrying sort of a funny feeling that he knew better than to ignore. He hoped it had nothing to do with her. After all he'd been feeling it all day. It could be anything, it could be nothing. He wasn't buying that for a minute. A few minutes later his suspicion was seemingly confirmed when the Doctor burst from the cake and rather foolishly announced that Rory's fiance had attempted to kiss him. The room went dead silent, at which point someone may or may not have punched someone in the jaw and someone else might have been quite irritatingly forgiving about said punch to the jaw.<p>

"I understand completely." The Doctor continued rubbing his jaw as he left the pub and Rory followed silently, wondering to himself why he was doing so. "Quite an arm you've got on you, too. I mean if I were human you might have even-"

"Doctor." Rory broke in, dangerously quietly.

"...broken my... Rory?"

"Please be quiet." Rory growled.

"Yes, right! Shutting up now." The Doctor agreed. Rory glared.

* * *

><p>Back in the TARDIS things weren't going much better.<p>

"Well... Couldn't I just talk to _you _then and you could tell him?" Amy said.

"No." The Master replied, still not looking up from his book. They were in the TARDIS's large and relatively overstuffed library. The Master was lounging on the worn, comfortable looking, brown leather couch facing what, in Amy's humble opinion, was an amazingly ill-advised fireplace. Her first thought upon seeing it was to wonder where the smoke went. Her second was to wonder how often it lit things inappropriately afire. She leaned forward on the edge if the _chaise longue_.

"Why not?"

"I don't care." He replied still reading. She moved to stand over him and snatched the book away from him.

"You don't care or you're enjoying it?" She accused sternly.

"Can't it be both?" The Master answered, unaffected. She looked at the book he was reading, raising an eyebrow.

"Machiavelli." She observed snidely. He tried to snatch it back.

"Good. You _can_ read." He retorted as she held the book out of reach. "Miss Pond, this is childish."

"What's wrong with Koschei?"

"I will shock you, you know." The Master threatened. Amy didn't budge. He glared at her. She cleared her throat.

"I don't know. He's not speaking with me either." He said. She looked surprised at that, then amused. He shocked her arm so she dropped the book.

"Ow! Jerk!" She exclaimed slapping his arm as he reached over to retreive his Machiavelli.

"We're back! Well... I'm back. Rory's here." The Doctor rambled as he entered, then upon seeing them. "What's happening in here?"

"He shocked me."

"She stole my book."

"You wouldn't answer my question."

"You shouldn't have been bothering me."

"Master." The Doctor scolded. A beat. Then, "Amy!"

"I warned her! You should be praising me." The Master scolded right back. The Doctor rolled his eyes. "Now for the last time. I am reading why don't you two go bother your new pet human or something."

"Oy!" Amy objected.

"Prove me wrong." The Master replied getting back into reading as the others left. He only managed to read for about another chapter or so before his eyes began to flutter shut. _~Just perfect.~_ He thought bitterly. _~That's fine. Just let Jyun handle the humans.~_ Jyun opened his eyes a moment later and sat up looking at the blue pinstripe suit the Master had been wearing, obviously in an attempt to irritate the Doctor. He got up and quickly headed for the Tardis's wardrobe room to change. He simply wasn't in the mood for such immaturity. He quickly seached through the racks and changed into a loose and comfortably worn-out-looking, grey, long-sleeved shirt, black pants, black boots and a black leather jacket, leaving quickly without a glance in the mirror. He paused outside the door, then went back to grab the black corduroy Breton cap that was hanging on the bannister.

* * *

><p>"So you mean like a date?" Amy asked as the Doctor fluttered around the control room and Rory continued to sulk.<p>

"Yes exactly! Just have to think of somewhere romantic for the two of you to go. Paris? No. Done Paris. How about Venice?"

"You still owe Casanova that chicken?" Jyun asked as he came down the stairs to join them.

"What?" Rory asked, taken aback.

"Oh yes. Maybe not Venice." The Doctor replied. "You're wearing my jacket."

"Yes, Doctor. Technically all the clothes I'm wearing are yours." Jyun replied, causing Rory to raise an eyebrow. "Do you want me to take it off?"

"No." The Doctor admitted. "Actually the hat belonged to Lennon I just forgot to give it back."

"Wait. Do you mean John-" Amy began.

"Yes."Jyun answered. "Well I like it. It's mine now."

"Sorry, who are you?" Rory asked.

"Right now I'm Jyun."

"Right now?"

"There's sort of three of him." Amy explained. "It's a nice hat. It suits you."

"Thank you."

"He has three personalities. One of them's a bit cross and the other's a bit mad." The Doctor added. "Barcelona!"

Jyun narrowed his eyes ever so slightly at him.

"Only you like Planet Barcelona." He said as the Doctor manouvered the TARDIS into the vortex.

"I'm open to suggestions." The Doctor said, sounding a bit put out.

"How about Rio?" Amy piped in, and then shrieked as the TARDIS rocked violently, knocking them off balance. Rory caught her around the waist with his other hand anchoring them to the railing, only just saving her from a nasty tumble down the stairs.

"Doctor?" Jyun shouted from where he clung to the edge of the console.

"Not me." The Doctor shouted back. The TARDIS shook again as Jyun carefully made his way over to look at the display.

"Looks like it's not." He confirmed sounding a bit surprised.

"What is it?" Amy called clinging to Rory for dear life.

"It appears," Jyun replied, "that we are being hijacked."

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Yeah, I know I have ended the episode with another cliff-hanger, but hey they're all still alive so that's pretty good right? Anyway, I'm sorry, this took a lot of time and effort to write and that led to me posting it later than I had planned. I don't know why this was so much more difficult but there you are. Just to clarify: for those it may concern, I am writing this Rory as my own AU version of him. I'm not trying to make him a different person though. He'll still be Rory just my AU Rory. The same goes for River as I have my own AU story arc planned for her as well (though her changes might be considered more dramatic. I don't know). Thank you all for reading this. I hope you all bear with me despite these changes. Special thanks to Yanna, GuessWho, and SawManiac211 for reviewing. Now I must go, as I am exhausted. Please do review.


	25. The Signal

**Episode Three: Vegas II**

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who if I did this would be far closer to canon, and the show would probably be more HBO or well this fic is rated M so you get my point. Does anyone even read this bit? Note to self: stop writing the disclaimers whilst sleep deprived.

_"I got my head but my head is unraveling. Can't keep control. Can't keep track of where it's traveling. I've got my heart but my heart's no good and you're the only one that's understood."_

_-Nine Inch Nails (The Perfect Drug)_

Chapter One: The Signal

A tall slender man dashed swiftly down the darkened streets, his long, cream-colored, suede duster billowing behind him gracefully. The bright multicolored lights of the city around him reflected off the wet pavement, causing the droplets he kicked up as he ran to become a rainbow assortment of tiny jewels. The flashy buildings all around him boasted big shows, big money, forbidden pleasures and delicious, overpriced cuisine. He barely noticed the signs. There would be no shows, no gambling, no dinners. The streets were completely empty of life save for him. A hover turned onto the street up ahead and he ducked around a corner, trying to catch his breath. He looked at his watch.

"Fifteen. Fifteen." He muttered breathlessly to himself, looking around. He ran his fingers frustratedly through his firey red curls as he searched for the promised... "Stairs!"

He dashed up them, leapt gracefully off the balcony at the top, swung from the hanging neon sign to land catlike, on the roof. As soon as he'd landed, he streaked over to the antenna set up on the roof. He pried open the console and began to make alterations_. ~Nine seconds~_ He thought to himself as he heard another hover aproaching. They'd noticed him. Now they'd be checking him out. He couldn't afford to be identified. Not this time. The circuits sparked and he growled softly.

"Zi'jaien!" He cursed, sucking his singed finger. _~Six seconds~_ The hover landed behind him on the roof and two of the collectors got out. He jammed his screwdriver into the slot in the circuit and activated the signal.

"Identify." The larger of the two collectors demanded. The redheaded man simply smirked at them.

"Oh, I don't think so." He replied cockily.

"You will identify yourself!"

"Nope. I won't actually. I'd say I was sorry but I'm really not." The collectors charged their weapons.

"Then you will suffer!" The redheaded man seemed entirely unconcerned as he took a look at his watch and shot them an aggravating grin.

"Nice try, mate. Time's up." He told the collector who had spoken, punctuating with a wink before he vanished into thin air.

* * *

><p>The TARDIS shook as it was pulled unpiloted through the vortex toward an unknown destination.<p>

"Doctor! Do something!" Amy screamed as she and Rory smacked against the railing. They'd all be sporting some nasty bruises. The Doctor struggled once again to reach the controls.

"There's no point." Jyun stated loudly so as to be heard over the racket. He was still outwardly fairly calm, though for him, _fairly_ calm was actually what would later be classified as 'Anxious Jyun'.

"I would consider **not** dying to be a valid goal!" Rory shouted back. Jyun straightened a bit, freeing up his right hand to gesture dismissively with, then quickly grabbed back onto the console as the place shook once again. The Doctor tried to use the stabilizers, but the moment he touched the controls, the TARDIS shocked him, causing him to let out an offended cry.

"I meant it won't work. She appears to be following a guidance signal, which would supercede our commands. She won't let anyone redirect her course even her chosen pilot." Jyun explained, in a subtly I told you so tone of voice.

"What!" The Doctor exclaimed, actually looking shocked at the news, which was disturbing in itself.

"It's a guidance signal." Jyun repeated more slowly, nodding at the readout he'd been studying. "Pretty basic. Still, recognisable. The signature appears genuine."

"What?" The Doctor repeated.

"Someone wanna fill the two humans in on the situation?" Rory interjected. Jyun turned to them as if to reply, but then there was a loud thud - an impact- and they were thrown to one side far more violently than before. Poor Jyun was catapulted into the drive pillar, rolling over the console to land limply on the floor. Amy screamed (as did Rory) as she was knocked down the stairs. The Doctor fell back against the wall. Then everything went still.

"Oouuuch." Amy groaned breaking the eerie silence.

"Amy!" Rory shouted rushing down the stairs to check on her. "Amy! Are you alright?"

"Oooh, hmm, I think I'm okay actually." Amy assured him after a moment's consideration. Rory quickly checked her for injuries and was relieved to find some nasty bruising but nothing major.

"Doctor?" Amy called as Rory helped her up. "Jyun? Are you alright?...Jyun!"

They rushed over to the limp figure lying on the floor beside the console. He was bleeding from a cut in his hairline over his left eye and was out cold. Rory gently rolled him onto his back, then carefully examined him.

"Breathing's normal." He appraised quietly. "Heart rate steady, No broken ribs..."

There was a grunt from the other side of the console as the Doctor regained his footing.

"Rory?" He asked groggily, then saw what the two humans were doing and snapped back to full consciousness. "Oh dear."

"No serious damage but he's been knocked out, so I can't be sure." Rory reported as the Doctor joined them, scanning the other alien with his sonic screwdriver. Amy patted Jyun's cheek gently.

"Come on. Wake up." Amy coaxed, it didn't seem to be working. She patted a bit more harshly. He stirred muttering a short "No," sleepily.

"Oy!" She snapped, slapping him,_ ~though not too hard_,~ she thought.

"Ahgf! Bloody savage-" He exclaimed, 'coming to' immediately and glaring at her.

"Watch it! That's my fiance you're talking about." Rory interrupted.

"Why do they assume that I actually care?" The irritable alien demanded, looking up at the Doctor.

"At least try to behave yourself, Master." The Doctor answered. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been hit by a hover-pod." The Master replied flatly, as he pushed himself into a sitting position. The Doctor flashed the light from his sonic in the other man's eyes, checking his pupils.

"Any dizziness?" He asked.

"Nope. Just a headache."

"How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Two." The Doctor nodded, satisfied.

"Do I even want to know what just happened?" The Master asked as the Doctor helped him up.

"Jyun said we were being hijacked." Amy reported, expertly ignoring his horrible behavior. The Master pinched the bridge of his nose as if trying to fight off a migraine.

"What?" He asked stiffly, as the Doctor went over to the readout Jyun had been looking at, toying with the controls.

"He seems to have been right." The Doctor told them. "A guidance signal. An old Xien type-"

"That's impossible!" The Master interjected, coming up beside him and taking a look for himself.

"I'd noticed." The Doctor commented. "That's what she thinks it is, anyway."

"She?" Rory asked.

"The ship." Amy clarified quickly. "What's a Xien type..?"

"It's nothing." The Master replied, examining the readout more thoroughly. "They don't exist anymore. There's no one left!"

"Hold on, I am now totally lost." Rory said. The Master rolled his eyes and did nothing to clarify any further.

"It was a way our people used to call TARDISes to them during the war." The Doctor explained. "It was uniquely Gallifreyan technology. No one else could do it."

"Oh, right! That** is **weird." Amy realized aloud. Then at Rory's questioning look, "They're the only two left."

"I can't find any faults in the signature..." The Master said, hitting the scanner which then shocked him. "Ow! I am not sorry!"

The screen flickered irritably at him in response. He glared at it.

"It has to be a fake." He insisted. Looking like he might strike out at the TARDIS again. The Doctor grabbed his hand.

"We're all in agreement then." The Doctor told him smoothly. "Let's just see where it's led us then shall we?" The Doctor said taking The Master's place at the controls.

Amy stepped up to stand beside the Master and peer over the Doctor's other shoulder.

"Hmm... We have landed on... New Earth! We're right in the center of the city of Vegas 2, but hold on. That isn't right at all! Where is everyone?" The Doctor questioned, sounding surprised.

"No life signs." The Master read aloud, raising his eyebrows.

"This is the second largest city on the whole planet! There should be about 8,175,133 people here and that's just the humanoids!" The Doctor exclaimed.

"Even on a completely undeveloped planet there should be some life signs." The Master pointed out "Even in space there's **some** life."

"So there's probably something really, really bad going on out there, isn't there?" Rory responded nervously. The Master nodded.

"Most likely. Yes."

"So what do we do?" Amy asked, looking from one Timelord to the other. The Doctor didn't even look up from the read out.

"Well personally, I would suggest avoiding any unnecessary mortal danger and leaving as quickly as possible." The Master replied casually, leaning back against the railing. "The Doctor on the other hand, he probably wants to go outside and risk life and limb to see what's gotten rid of everyone. Don't you, Doctor?"

"Mmm? Oh, yes." The Doctor replied, finally turning away from the console. "The Master and I will head out first, just in case it's something environmental that the TARDIS somehow missed. Once we're certain it isn't, you're welcome to join us."

The Master rolled his eyes at this, but said nothing.

"Oh! First though, your collar." The Doctor said as if just remembering it. The Master narrowed his eyes for a moment before catching on to his meaning.

"No. Definitely not!" He said adamantly.

"Yes." The Doctor countered calmly.

"Not a chance."

"It's for your own good as much as ours. It will allow the TARDIS to monitor your vitals as well as your transitions." The Doctor continued gently.

"I don't need the TARDIS to monitor me. I can look after myself!" Amy tried and failed to hide her look of disbelief at that one, earning her a death glare from the already very agitated alien.

"You can't leave the TARDIS without it." The Doctor said presenting his ultimatum. The Master scoffed and ran down the stairs to try the doors. He struggled against them but they wouldn't budge. "I'm sorry, Master, but we're in complete agreement on this. She won't let you go unless she can keep track of you."

"You mean not without my leash!" The Master spat furiously. The Doctor said nothing.

"Master-" Amy began gently but the Master cut her off.

"Tell me the truth then! Go on! Am I your charge or just your prisoner?" He screamed, sparking a little, causing Amy and Rory to take a startled step back. The Doctor just watched silently, not even flinching; clearly he was far too acustomed to this sort of behavior. The Master angrily punched the wall a couple of times, then kicked over the coat rack and finally lashed out at the railing before slumping to the ground, panting. Amy started to step forward to go to him but the Doctor put a hand on her shoulder.

"Amelia, could you please go to my workshop and fetch his collar for me? You remember what it looks like, yes? Good." The Doctor prompted briskly. Amy paused for just a moment to look worriedly at the Master before heading up the stairs to do as she was told.

"First cabinet on your right." He added before he led Rory down the stairs to check on his old friend. Seeing a drop of blood fall from the Master's right hand, Rory reached out to check it, only to be stopped by a look from the Master which clearly said 'touch me and I will bite you'.

"Master, please don't make this difficult." The Doctor requested gently.

"I hate you." The Master grumbled, but he let Rory look at his wrist anyway.

"You've torn your stitches." Rory reported.

"I don't need a bloody collar." The Master growled.

"Then why don't you prove us wrong?" Rory replied as Amy joined them.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: This is much later than I planned to post this but between going and visiting family members that I almost never get to see and my internet connection which is totally shit this turned out to be the soonest I could manage it. Thank you all for reading and for bearing with me through the annoyingly long wait between episodes. Special thanks to GuessWho for reviewing. I hope to finish the next chapter earlier than usual and possibly post it on friday or saturday but I feel I should make no promises just in case. Anyway, now I absolutely have to go sleep. Once again, thank you for your patience.


	26. Careful, Sugar

The Master slunk grumpily after the Doctor out of the TARDIS, fussing occasionally with his collar - the idea of people being able to tell who he was by the color of the medallion was a less than pleasant thought - and he had refused to utter a word since his tantrum earlier. The Doctor prudently ignored his pouting, choosing instead to look at the bright lights around them until his mobile rang when the call came through from the TARDIS. He knew perfectly well that the Master was trying for attention, and he also knew better than to fall for it. The Master knew that although the collar wasn't actually uncomfortable at all, if he didn't behave melodramatically about it, he would lose serious cred, or else cause the others to become suspicious, neither of which he desired, thus the fussing and the occasional withering looks at the Doctor and Rory. For his part, Rory had been quite happy when the Master left the TARDIS, as the Master's idea of a withering look could actually be quite off-putting. In fact the subject of said look might get the vague impression that it was entirely conceivable for someone to become dinner, which then prompted them to seriously hope it wouldn't be them. The Doctor, of course, had become accustomed to such fleeting impressions of impending digestion and was therefore impervious.

"No radiation." The Doctor commented as he put Rory and Amy on speakerphone, more to fill the silence than anything else. "Well, there're the lamps but they couldn't do much harm even to the most sensitive humanoid species, not with radiation, anyway."

The Master moved quietly past him, looking around at the various garish neon signs that made the night seem almost as bright as day around them. Perhaps the people who designed this place were addicted to light pollution. Perhaps they simply felt it was their mission in life to combine as many vibrant, flashy colors and bright lights together in one location as humanly possible.

"Despicable." He remarked. "Thank the stars these people haven't made first contact with the Ltharians yet."

Upon the Master's first and only visit to the Ltharian homeworld he had barely left his TARDIS before he became physically sick from the sheer amount of bright clashing colors and the arguably quite ill- advised use of glitter alone. The Doctor shivered slightly at the mental image.

"Ughh, now **that **is dispicable. You know, that place was so horrid your vomit was the only thing that actually matched." The Doctor reminisced.

"Matched what?" Came Rory's voice, faintly over the mobile.

"Anything." Retorted the Doctor.

"Ew." (Amy's voice from the phone.)

"Doctor!" The Master scolded.

"But it's true!" The Doctor insisted.

"I know, but we agreed never to speak of it again."

"You agreed." The Doctor amended.

"Same thing."

"Ummm, guys? You do remember there is a point to this, right?"

"Yes, Rory. The air seems fine as well, no toxic contaminants." The Doctor reported.

"Just toxic disp..lays..." The Master trailed off looking at something apparently very interesting around the corner, out of the Doctor's line of sight.

"What?" The Doctor walked over to him to see what he was staring at.

"Doctor?" Amy asked.

"You don't see that every day." The Master commented.

"See what every day?" Rory questioned.

"Wow." The Doctor remarked sounding distracted. "That's... something."

"Yes." The Master said narrowing his eyes at the Doctor over his shoulder, which the other alien failed to notice due to the 'interesting billboard'.

"Do you suppose those are real?" The Doctor asked. Amy snorted.

"Doesn't matter." The Master replied before turning away from the lewd image to face the Doctor. "Anyway, don't you mean **were** real?" He corrected, skillfully killing the Doctor's mood.

"I think it's safe for the two of you to join us. Just stick close and don't ingest anything until we've tested it." The Doctor pronounced to Amy and Rory, still gazing _~vacantly~_ the Master thought, at the billboard.

"I think you're the only one in any danger of that. This regeneration seems to be a bit 'taste first and ask questions later,' but then, so was the last one." The Master reflected, "Tell me Doctor, have you developed a permanent oral fixation somehow?"

Amy and Rory joined them outside a moment later.

"So testing it is." The Doctor said, indicating the resturaunt across the street from the TARDIS. "We can test food and water over at Milliways."

"Hurrah." The Master stated enthusiastically.

"Oh, come along Master." Amy said pulling him forward by his unbandaged arm "We're investigating a huge, futuristic, mysteriously abandoned city; all the power is even still on. You could at least attempt to enjoy yourself."

"It's futuristic to you lot. This place is Medieval in comparison to Gallifrey."

"It's still an adventure." Amy insisted as they entered the large, very expensive-looking restaurant.

"I doubt it's the food." The Doctor said. As he moved between the round tables that were draped in either gold or violet burnt-velvet, each with a unique and complex patern of swirls and spirals etched into both the tablecloth and the lush velvet seats.

"Where is everyone?" Rory asked.

"That is the question." The Master said as he made his way down the stairs to the heavy, genuine oak reception desk.

"No. I mean, I get that, but if it was something natural like poisoning or a plague, then they'd still be here." Rory clarified as the Doctor wove in between the tables, heading to the reception desk. "There isn't any thing wrong though, is there? There's just no one. So why isn't there even any trace of anyone here?"

"No idea. Let's ask." The Doctor said, pressing a button on the corner of the desk. An extremely attractive holographic blonde flickered to life next to where the Master was leaning on the other side of the desk. She was wearing a perfectly fitted, white, buttoned shirt and violet miniskirt with gold pumps, probably the standard uniform for female employees. She turned and smiled invitingly at him with her sultry scarlet lips.

"Well, hello, Sugar." She greeted in a slightly raspy, utterly feminine voice. The Master raised his hand in a casual wave. "Welcome to Milliways." She was undaunted. "How may I help you?"

Amy walked up to the hologram to inspect her more closely, then looked over at Rory with one eyebrow raised.

"Have you got a reservation, Sweetheart?" The Hologram tried looking up at Amy questioningly with big blue eyes.

"No, not this time actually." The Doctor said, coming round the desk to stand beside Amy. "I do have a question, though - maybe more than one, probably."

"I am sorry. We do not have any seating open at this time. If you wish to make a reservation, I would be delighted to make one for you at a future-"

"Quiet." The Master ordered, once again catching the hologram's attention.

"Problem, Sugar?" She asked.

"Why yes." He said in a pleasant tone. "We have a question. I couldn't care less about reservations."

"I apologize for any inconvenience, but we are very busy at this time-"

"In what sense?" Rory half questioned, half-hinted. She paused for a moment before batting those unrealistically long, thick lashes and starting over.

"I apologize for any inconvenience but we are very busy at this time and must limit our attentions to paying customers."

"But there's nobody here but us." Amy pushed. "You aren't busy at all."

"Not according to her circuits." The Doctor explained with a sigh. "I don't suppose you could just do a quick scan of the tables? It should take you less than a second. Just humor me?"

The hologram batted her eyes at them before speaking again.

"I apologize for any inconvenience-"

"Too bad. She must be a Mark One." The Doctor observed, disappointed.

"This is ridiculous." Rory noted, walking over to them as the Doctor turned toward the stairs.

"Why did you mention our lack of reservations?" The Master questioned as if truly wondering. "Is the noble Doctor now too good even to deceive a mindless restaurant hologram? Your fan club will be so very proud."

The Doctor ignored the jab. Amy sighed.

"Honestly Master, you're making us all miss Koschei."

The Master was just about to point out that Rory was incapable of missing Koschei, having never met him, when the hologram unexpectedly spoke.

"Master Koschei. Fragment recognized. Searching archives."

"What the-?" Amy said, taking a step forward as the hologram closed her eyes and flickered bright red momentarily.

"Accessing secondary archive."

The Doctor frowned, exchanging a look with the Master.

"That's not a Mark One." The Doctor observed tensely.

"Name retrieved. Master Koschei Xha'en. Code zero zero thirteen."

"How did you know that? You shouldn't know that name." The Master asked suspiciously.

"Voice pattern recognized." The hologram continued in monotone. Then she opened her eyes looking straight into his. "Target confirmed."

The Master went still as a statue for a second before spinning round and bolting up the stairs with inhuman speed and grace. Amy followed not far behind. The hologram tracked his movement with her babydoll eyes, never once losing her polite, flirty facade.

"Lockdown initiated." She reported pleasantly and a big, heavy, metal door slammed down blocking the exit. "Please be seated. A Collector will be with you shortly to handle target retrieval."

The Master ignored her, rushing over to the windows on the wall to their left, grabbing a chair as he went, and flinging it at the closest one.

"Careful, Sugar." The hologram said sweetly, as Amy grabbed him around the waist, yanking him back from a burst of high voltage current erupting from the point of impact, and setting the cushion on fire.

"Jesus!" Rory exclaimed, rushing over to them.

"Please note: all windows are currently electrified. We apologize for any inconvenience. We ask that our patrons please refrain from interfering with Target acquisition." At the last bit, Amy flashed the hologram a very rude gesture. The Doctor had already started tinkering with the tech for the holographic systems behind the desk.

"You alright?" Rory asked, helping Amy to her feet. She nodded and they both looked down at the Master, who was still on the floor.

"I'm extremely annoyed, but otherwise just fine." The Master said, ignoring their outstretched hands and pushing himself up off the floor. "How long?" He asked as he inspected his hat for damage.

"Five minutes." The Doctor replied, not pausing in his work. The Master moved to join him but he held up a hand halting him in his tracks. "No, not a good idea. You'll only trigger more security measures. I can handle it."

"Collectors... Doesn't ring a bell." The Master considered, putting his cap back on. "How about you?"

"Not a clue." The Doctor replied from under the desk.

"Some kind of bounty hunters maybe?" Rory guessed, then seeing those bright golden eyes looking up at him, added. "Not to accuse you of anything. It's just a thought."

"They're pretty well prepared." The Master said finally looking away. Amy gave Rory's shoulder a reassuring squeeze as she passed him on her way to face the hologram once again.

"What can you tell me about the Collectors?" Amy asked, crossing her arms over her chest,

"I am sorry we are very-"

"Yeah I know. No service without a reservation; he didn't have one, but this is me asking." Amy interrupted in a no nonsense tone of voice. She was getting really sick of people trying to kill her friends and, in her opinion, going after the mentally unbalanced one was exeptionally low.

"My apologies, Sweetheart." The hologram replied warmly, "Under what name shall I log your inquiry?"

Amy looked at the ground, seeming to consider her next move. Rory was standing beside her immediatly.

"Don't! You can't use your name. You might be targeted." Amy ignored him.

"He's right. You shouldn't." The Doctor agreed. "You've been travelling with me longer than he has this time around. If they have his name they could easily have yours."

"Would you like to log an inquiry, Sweetheart?"

Amy looked over at the Master and their eyes locked for a moment before he shook his head. She took a deep breath before turning back to the hologram.

"Yes." She replied smoothly.

"No listen-" Rory tried, desperately.

"The name is Rory Williams."

"Searching archive..." The hologram replied with a smile. "Reservation found. Request accepted. Please state your query."

"What? How?" Rory asked. Amy shushed him holding a finger to his lips.

"Who are the Collectors?" Amy inquired.

"The Collectors: Seven specialized hunters of unknown origin who are in current contol over sector one of Vegas II. Under the employ of a classified party for retrieval of certain specified threats to the sustained function. A security code of blue level clearance or higher is required for further information." The hologram explained. There was the sound of a hovercraft landing outside.

"Tell me you're finished." The Master demanded, looking from the door to the Doctor and back again.

"Of course." The Doctor said jumping to his feet. The Master grabbed Rory's arm pulling him toward the windows.

"Right then. Humans first." He proclaimed, never taking his eyes from the doorway. "Specifically, Rory."

The big metal door began to open, showing two rather imposing, navy blue figures standing just outside.

"Umm, why me?" Rory asked, jumping as the Doctor used his sonic to shatter the glass. The Master just shoved him toward the opening.

"Just shut up and run." Amy glared at him as she went through the opening without prompting. The Master was building up current in his hands; at the same time, the Collectors were pointing their weapons at him and the Doctor. One moved to fire and got hit with a big bolt of white hot energy that knocked him off his feet instead. The Doctor grabbed the Master leading him to the broken window as the other Collector opened fire. They barely made it through without geting hit.

"Hey, are you alright?" Amy shouted as she and Rory helped them up.

"Just fine. Didn't we tell you to run?" The Doctor asked.

"Yes you did." Rory confirmed, looking accusingly over at Amy as they ran for it. They turned right as a pulse bullet hit the wall just behind the Doctor's head.

"There are actually seven of those guys somewhere around here! How are we supposed to handle seven?" Rory exclaimed. "I don't even know how we'll manage two!"

"'**We'** don't have to manage anything." The Master pointed out after they'd ducked into the backdoor of some kind of club. "They aren't after you."

"He's right." The Doctor agreed. "You two shouldn't be involved in this. We should split up: you two head back to the TARDIS."

"No." Amy argued.

"Keep out of sight. You should be fine."

"No, I am not just leaving you here!" Amy snapped.

"I'm sorry. You seem to misunderstand how this works. I am not asking you. I am telling you. Get back to the TARDIS." The Doctor commanded rather harshly, causing the Master to raise an eyebrow. Amy, on the other hand, looked like she wanted to slap him.

"Oh for the..." The Master said rolling his eyes and made the decision for them by running out the door and slamming it shut behind him. A moment later the keypad next to it sparked.

"Master!" The Doctor shouted trying to follow, but the door wouldn't open. He reached into his pocket and then looked utterly shocked. "He took my sonic-screwdriver. He took my sonic-screwdriver!"

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: So here it is the new chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. I certainly did. Props to those of you who caught the Douglas Adams reference. This has got to be the longest uninterrupted scene in the entire fic. It even has an unrealistically sexy, passive-aggressive, holographic waitress for your viewing pleasure. Anyways, thank you all for reading. Special thanks to Bunyipbabe and BiggerOnTheInside95 for reviewing. Please, do review, people. Not only will it make me love you but it will also really help fuel the writing process.


	27. 4 Reasons Not to Hunt the Master

The Master ran down the street as fast as he could, quickly pocketing the stolen screwdriver. He had to formulate a plan, the faster the better. He knew from personal experience that the Doctor would be coming after him in no time at all. There really wasn't any way to stop the sentimental fool from trying to protect him - or anyone else, really. He was annoying that way. Perhaps Amy's stubborn refusal to return to the safety of the TARDIS might delay him, but the Master wouldn't count on it.

He reached an intersection and heard the sounds of a hover coming from his left, glancing over at it just in time to see it begin to speed up. He ran across the street, sending out an electromagnetic pulse to knock out any electronics in the immediate area. As the hover stalled, he blew them a quick kiss just to be really irritating, then started running again while they were still climbing out the windows. He darted out of their line of sight, down the street ahead of him for a few meters before trying a couple of random doors and ducking into the first unlocked one.

He was now in an empty strip club. He leaned heavily against one of the black and white diamond-checkered tables and tried to catch his breath; all the channeling and running was beginning to tire him out._~Well, I suppose there are worse places to hide out.~ _He studied the area around him closely, tactically appraising it. The whole place was dimly lit by an assortment of red and yellow lamps hovering over the ceiling in a pattern that was vaguely reminiscent of the checkered tablecloths, and the assortment behind the bar appeared promising even from his place at the table._~Actually, this is perfect.~ _

Grinning, the Master began to make a few minor adjustments to his surroundings, moving as silently as a ghost. He searched behind the bar, sorting through the various kinds of liquor. An evil grin split his face as he pulled out a big, blue bottle and an equally large green one. The blue was Netrhean Spirits and the green was Rhit of a satisfyingly high proof. He looked over at the pitch dark stairway that led up, most likely to the rented bedrooms.

* * *

><p>The Doctor headed back toward the TARDIS at a brisk pace with Rory and Amy following close behind. He pulled his key out as they reached the familiar blue police box, then hurried inside. Rory ran up and caught the door, holding it open for Amy, who muttered a quiet "Thank you," and gave him a kiss on the cheek in passing. The Doctor was already busy at the controls. Amy hurried up the stairs to stand beside him. She looked worriedly over the controls before tentatively asking.<p>

"What are you doing?" The Doctor didn't pause for a second.

"There's a dormant tracking device hidden in the Master's collar. I need to activate it. Red button, please." He told her impatiently. She hit the little red button next to her left hand. Rory came over to stand to the Doctor's right.

"Can they use it to track him as well?" He inquired watching the Doctor's hands as he adjusted the scanner.

"I doubt it, but I still need to make sure I get to him first."

"**We** need to get to him first." Amy corrected.

"Rory, the dial to your right. Two o'clock, please." Rory located the dial in question after a moment's glance and oriented it. "Perfect! Thank you."

A map appeared on the screen in front of the Doctor, zooming in incrementally as the TARDIS closed in on the signal.

"Gotcha." The Doctor declared enthusiastically as the TARDIS pinpointed the exact location, and the graceful, mandala-like Gallifreyan symbols danced across the screen, describing the details of the destination.

"Where to?" Amy asked.

"**I** am going to the Paradise Club to fetch the Master. **You** need to stay here and call me to let me know if he starts moving again."

"But Doctor..."

"We cannot afford to lose track of him." The Doctor insisted, "I can't."

"Okay then." Rory assured him, taking the Doctor's place at the controls. "We've got this. You'd better get going. If he moves, you'll know."

The Doctor nodded his thanks before turning and running out of the TARDIS.

* * *

><p>Three Collectors stood outside the entrance to the strip club where the Master was hiding. One stood on either side of the door with their backs pressed against the tawny-colored wall, pulse rifles at the ready. The third stood about a meter away from the entrance, his blue and black silhouette contrasting starkly with the vibrant red of the door. He had a laser pistol in each hand and a sword strapped to his back. They were all more than twice the Master's size. The one with the pistols looked at the other two. They nodded. He rushed at the door, kicked it in, and they moved quickly into the building, ready to shoot their Target on sight.<p>

The Master heard the loud crash from his seat at the top of the stairs as they burst into his hideout, but he didn't so much as twitch. He just looked meditatively at his bottle of Rhit. They moved carefully through the room, checking for any sign of where he might be hiding. The Master waited for them to get just where he wanted them. Then they all looked down at the floor between them as two bottles shattered on the ground and a thick lavender-colored fog began to build from where the contents of the two bottles met.

It may be pertinent to note at this point that Netrhean Spirits and Rhit, when combined produce a thick, foglike substance that is both highly flammable and highly intoxicating to most known humanoid species. This is very enjoyable when taken in small doses if you just happen to fancy a Netrhean Sunrise. Not so much if you're a bounty hunter chasing a highly intelligent, combat-trained, Gallifreyan whose respiratory bypass system will allow him to resist the effects a lot longer than you could ever hope to, and you've just realized that your big scary guns are now useless.

The Collectors began to cough and tried to cover their faces. One of the two carrying a pulse rifle looked up to see their amused quarry standing at the top of the stairs. The Master waved to him and pointed to the message he'd written in black marker on the mirror behind the bar. It read: 'I know. It's really unfair.' The Collector looked back up the stairs just as the Master slid down the bannister and kicked him in the face, knocking him out.

The other one with a rifle grabbed a barstool and threw it at the Master, who ducked under it and dove into a sommersault that brought him under the table next to his attacker. There was a brief pause as the third Collector pulled out his sword, then the swordless one was knocked out as the Master kicked a chair out from under the table and the back of it caught him right under the chin.

The Master rolled out from under the table and popped up from the floor with a smirk, which quickly morphed into an indignant expression when he noticed the sword. The Collector slashed at him, but luckily for the Master, the fog was beginning to take its toll and the attack was easily dodged. He ducked and bolted outside. The Collector tried, rather clumsily, to follow, but the Master turned to face him, rubbing his hands together as he built up a charge. The Collector shook his head, clearly feeling deeply unenthusiastic about the Master's intentions. The Master nodded, his eyes shimmering vindictively.

"Master!" The Doctor called, running down the street towards them.

The Master glanced over at the Doctor, then back at the Collector, looking torn.

The Collector nodded hopefully in the Doctor's general direction.

"Master!" The Doctor called again, beckoning him over with a hand. The Master growled looking up at the sky angrily for a moment before heading over to join the other Timelord.

"What!" He demanded rudely as a soft thump and a clank behind him indicated the last of his attackers had lost consciousness. The Doctor looked him over suspiciously.

"No killing." He said simply, no longer sounding quite as stern. The Master flashed him a disgusted expression.

"So you're tracking me with the collar then, aren't you." The Master concluded, not really asking for confirmation. The Doctor nodded anyway.

"We should head back to the TARDIS to figure out a better plan." The Doctor said, eyeing the Master's handiwork as he walked up to the smashed-open doorway. He sniffed the air inquisitively. "Noxin gas?"

"Of course." The Master replied as if they were discussing the weather. The Doctor shrugged and began to lead the way back to the TARDIS.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Rory. I've just had an idea." Amy said, rising from her seat to stand beside Rory. Rory pushed away from the console, turning to look at her. There wasn't much for him to do now, anyway. The Doctor had just called to inform them that he'd found the Master and would be heading back to meet them.<p>

"Am I going to like it?" Rory inquired warily.

"I just realized, with all the running and shooting and everything, we've forgotten about that weird Guidance Signal or whatever it was that brought us here in the first place. We still need to find out what that was all about." Amy explained, leaning her hip against the console.

"I suppose... But it's probably just another trick from those Collectors that are targeting the Master. How're we going to do anything about it without them coming after us?"

"That was my idea." Amy replied enthusiastically. "This is a big city right? Lots of people, and lots of money all held closely together in one place, which would mean they would need lots of high-tech, state-of-the-art security. I'd be willing to bet money on the fact that our mystery hijacker was caught on camera somewhere near the landing site. He might even have been recorded while sending the actual signal. All that we have to do is find a way to get a look at the security footage."

Rory didn't look convinced.

"Oh, is that all? Amy, that isn't as easy as it sounds. We're on an alien planet, remember? How exactly do you expect us to even locate the footage in the first place?" He asked, secretly hopeful that he was right and there wasn't a way. Amy paused, considering this new puzzle for a moment. Then they both jumped as the console dinged cheerfully, and the screen closest to Amy began to change into a map of Sector One of New Vegas with a network of glowing lines and dots slowly spreading and weaving together over the city. Amy smiled softly as she realized what was happening.

"Oh! Um... Thank you!" The last bit of Amy's sentence was called up toward the TARDIS ceiling. Rory looked at her quizzically, moving to peer over her shoulder at the screen.

"What is it?"

"It's the TARDIS! She heard us talking about finding the Security footage, so she's helping us locate it." Amy told him while she carefully studied the readout. "Okay, I think I get what she's doing... Yeah, these lines here represent the camera network. Right? Okay. These dots, hmm... I'm guessing they must be viewing stations? Ha! How great am I? Got it on the first go!"

"Right. So, we can show the Doctor and the Master when they get back. Shouldn't be such a long wait. They're halfway here already." Rory hinted, draping an arm around Amy's waist. The screen flickered erratically, as if in response.

"I don't think she likes that idea." Amy noted, raising her eyebrows.

"The Doctor said to wait for him." Rory pointed out.

"I remember. There must be a reason why we shouldn't wait."

"Because the ship says so." Rory replied, sounding unconvinced.

"Careful Rory. She's obviously sentient. Offending her might not be the greatest idea." Amy warned him before looking back at the screen with a thoughtful expression. "What if there's a time limit?"

"Why would there be a time limit?"

"I don't know; the system monitors the whole area, right? Maybe it erases data every once in a while, or maybe sends it off to somewhere less easily accessible in order to save memory."

The screen blinked.

"So that one." Rory concluded sounding defeated. "This is dangerous, you know. The Doctor warned us to stay out of it."

"We haven't got the time to wait for them."

Rory and Amy stared at each other for a moment, considering their options before Rory spoke.

"Promise me that you're not doing this just to prove something to the Doctor." He said determinedly. Amy frowned.

"I'm not!" She insisted.

"Fine, but we need to be careful. I don't want to lose you over this."

Amy leaned forward and kissed him lovingly. "I promise." She told him, quietly leaning forward and giving him a peck on the lips before turning back to the screen. "I need to use your phone."

After taking a picture of the readout with Rory's phone and leaving a note taped to the side of the view-screen Amy and Rory hurried out of the TARDIS. Needless to say the Doctor was less than pleased when he and the Master arrived to find an empty TARDIS. He snatched their note off the side of the console and read it, then turned back to the readout calling up the map they had been looking at before they'd left.

"Of course they've wandered off! They're always wandering off!" He muttered irritably to himself. "Fine. It's alright; we just have to find them. Master- Oh."

He turned to look at the Master who was slumped over in his seat, obviously transitioning.

* * *

><p><em>The Master opened his eyes in the Dreamscape. It wasn't the clearing this time. This time he wasn't even outdoors. He walked down the large empty hallway of Naismith Mansion, pushing through the large, wooden double-doors into the familiar work center. The rows of computers were still there. The glass radiation-booths and the big alien machine that stood on the other side of the room were all as they had been when he and the Doctor had been to its real-world counterpart. Unlike the real world, however, the domed glass ceiling opened up into a black, empty sky, featureless and blank, save for the Earth hanging alone in the void. Koschei was curled up in a ball in the center of the great machine, strapped into an infuriatingly familiar, white straitjacket. As the Master began to move towards him, one of the chairs at the workstation to his left spun round and his fellow alter shook his head at him, nonchalantly putting his feet up on the desk. He was wearing one of the Korean military uniforms that some of the Master's clones had sported during their brief takeover of the planet Earth. He was toying idly with something long and metallic in his hands: the Doctor's old screwdriver, the Master realized after a closer look.<em>

_"It's no use. He's just as unresponsive as ever." Jyun told him, his blank face tilting upward slightly as he studied the Master._

_"Perhaps you haven't been trying hard enough." The Master replied, eyeing Koschei's motionless state. He was staying unnaturally still. This was even more off-putting due to the stark contrast to his usual energetic, playful, and at times almost childlike demeanor._

_"If you believe you can do better, do so. I'll Manifest in your place." Jyun responded, standing and moving towards the doors. He stopped and turned around just as the Master crouched next to Koschei's unresponsive form. "Have you found any signs of what might have caused this?"_

_"Not really. I didn't look for any."_

_"Of course you didn't."_

_"I was busy. That reminds me. Beware of passive-aggressive holograms." __Jyun blinked at the Master in his version of surprise and the Master continued. "Koschei and the girl were apparently having some sort of disagreement when I manifested, but I highly doubt that had much to do with it."_

_"I agree. It seems unlikely." Jyun said, turning back to the doors._

_"Just so you know, we're being hunted. They even know our legal name somehow." The Master told him distractedly as he studied Koschei's apparently sleeping face, though his being asleep was utterly nonsensical in the Dreamscape. Jyun nodded, knowing the Master would sense it without looking._

_"Don't damage him, Master." He added. The Master hummed a sound of acknowledgement as Jyun grabbed the door-handle and vanished._

* * *

><p><em>.<em>

**A/N:** Hey look at that! I posted a whole day ahead of schedule! Hmm...What's going on with Koschei? Guess we'll have to see more about that later. Yeah, I know I'm a jerk, but hopefully an endearing one. Thank you all for reading this. Today's special thanks go to Bunyipbabe and GuesssWho for reviewing. As always, I hope you will follow these folks shining example and review this yourselves.


	28. The Mystery of the Redheaded Man

Amy and Rory jogged quietly through the street with Rory looking about them nervously for any sign of the Collectors, and Amy eyeing the screen of his phone every so often to make sure they were going in the right direction.

"Alright... here!" Amy announced pulling open a mauve-colored, metal door to her right. "It's this one. Come on."

They both quickly ducked into the dark hallway and Rory searched the wall for a light-switch. He found a touch pad instead, but shortly determined it served a similar purpose. As the lights flickered on, Amy and Rory did a little double-take, looking out at the overly colorful city outside and then back down the bright white, blank and featureless hallway. "What's wrong with this picture?" Rory muttered.

"Well, it's lucky we don't have the Master with us. He'd be virtually invisible." Amy noted as she began to walk down the sterile, white hallway with white door after brilliantly white door. It was difficult to determine where exactly the light was coming from. Amy theorized that it was probably coming from some manner of white light fixture, but it seemed to come from all around them. Rory suddenly smiled in amusement.

"Hey, imagine if he came in here wearing all white clothing. He'd be like an albino-ninja." They both grinned at the mental image before Rory's expression sobered and he added more seriously, "How are we going to find the right room? All the doors look exactly the same."

"I don't know." Amy said, looking around them thoughtfully. Then they both jumped as Rory's mobile phone rang.

"Um... Hello?" Rory answered.

"It's Jyun. Where are you?"

"We- Wait, what? Jyun? How did you know my number?"

"That's irrelevant. Put Amy on the phone."

"Wha-?"

"You're wasting time." Rory made an irritable noise and handed his mobile phone back to Amy.

"Jyun?" Amy questioned.

"Where are you and why?" There was the sound of someone else talking faintly in the background, then Jyun added. "The Doctor's cross with you."

"We're getting information on whoever called us here in the first place." Amy explained, trying one of the doors. "This city has a big network of security cameras that send footage to different viewing stations all through the area. The TARDIS helped us locate them, but we couldn't wait for you before we left, because the footage gets uploaded somewhere else every so often, and we have to get to it before that happens."

"Understood. Where are you now?" Jyun replied.

"The closest viewing station to the TARDIS. It's up and to the left of the TARDIS on the map."

"I see it. We'll be there momentarily." Jyun confirmed, then hung up. Amy turned to Rory.

"They're on their way to join us." Amy said, then looked at the line of doors. "Okay. You take that side, I'll take this one."

While they waited for the others to show up, they checked the doors one after the other, trying to find the Viewing Room. Rory finally found it a few minutes before the Doctor and Jyun arrived. They considered the station in front of them.

"Oh, a touch screen. Lovely." Amy observed, studying the display.

"Do you really think we should be messing about with that? We don't know how any of this works." Rory pointed out, looking the screen over suspiciously.

"We don't have a lot of time." Amy replied. "We have to try. Here, what about this?"

"No, wait!" Rory said, grabbing her hand as she reached out to touch a luminous mauve symbol. "Just a second... " He said, thinking for a moment, then he shrugged agitatedly. "Here!"

He touched a blue one. The screen flickered and then displayed a list of numerical sequences.

"Hey! That's it! I think you did it!" Amy exclaimed, then turned to him questioningly. "How did you do that?"

"I didn't. I just guessed, really. I just didn't like that other one being the same color as the door, is all."

"The outer door?" The Doctor asked as he and Jyun joined them. "That was lucky. The door's mauve."

"And that means...?" Amy prompted as she moved out of the way to let Jyun have a better look at the screen-controls.

"Mauve is the universal color for danger." Jyun supplied simply, scrolling through the list.

"Mauve? I thought it was red?" Amy asked, surprised.

"That's just you." Jyun deadpanned. The two humans looked at the Doctor.

"Just for you Earthlings." He clarified.

"Here. I've found the file." Jyun reported, touching a line of numbers. _A video appeared on the screen of an empty, rainy, street, then a tall, RedHeaded Man in a long cream-colored duster literally popped into existence in the middle of the street. He was holding something thin and metallic in his hand. He looked at it with a smirk, flipping it in the air and catching it for a moment. It was difficult to make out what it was. He cocked his head to the side, as if listening for something, and then one of the Collectors stepped out of the shop nearest him and yelled something at him, aiming his weapon. The Redheaded Man just shook his head and ducked a pulse-bullet with impossible speed. It almost seemed as if he'd reacted a split second before the Collector pulled the trigger. Then he was off, running down the street with the Collector following after him._

"We should record this. It would be safer to study it back inside the TARDIS." Jyun stated calmly.

The Doctor nodded and searched his pockets for something, then pulled out a little rectangular device and handed it to Jyun, who plugged it into the machine and began to work.

"Sonic." Jyun muttered after fussing around under the console. The Doctor sonic-ed the screen and Jyun nodded as he pulled himself up off the ground. "Someone should be watching the door."

Amy and Rory nodded and moved out into the hallway.

"Be careful!" The Doctor called after them, and then leaned in to speak quietly into Jyun's ear. "Did you see that, when he first appeared?"

"It wasn't a transmat." Jyun replied, equally quietly.

"You know what it _did_ look like."

"We can't be certain without doing our own scans of the area."

"It's too dangerous to do that right now, though, for you at least. The Collectors are still out there and we don't have enough information on them yet."

"A little danger's never stopped you before. Why let it now?"

"I'm not letting them take you." The Doctor insisted as Jyun detached the device and turned to face him. They were standing almost nose to nose now. They stared into each other's eyes for one long moment before Jyun batted his eyelids, as if snapping himself out of a trance, and tipped his chin up slightly, pressing the recording device into the Doctor's chest.

"Careful, Theta." He said in a slightly less emotionless tone. "You almost sound like you care."

He pushed past the Doctor, out of the Viewing Room. The Doctor drew in a deep breath and looked down at the device he still held to his chest, then tossed and caught it once before standing up straighter and pocketing it.

"Maybe I do." He said softly, adjusting his bowtie. He sighed, turning to follow Jyun out the door. "I do."

* * *

><p>Three Collectors had gathered together in the main room of thier leader's living quarters. Said leader was standing with his back to the other two, looking out into space at the amazing view of the planet below. He didn't trully care at all about such frivolous things as beauty, but the massive, transparent wall did inspire a certain level of awe in others, and that was invaluable to him. However, it only made his younger brother more certain that he was the most pretentious boss he'd ever had.<p>

"This isn't working." Darius told the his brother and leader, Lessli, and to a lesser extent Elim, the most muscular, as well as the most brain-dead of the group (in Darius's opinion) .

"We jus' needa come a' i' harda. Da' scrawny relic jus' bin lucky 's all. We should jus' move in an' crush 'im!" Elim countered. Darius caught Lessli's eye in his reflection. _~See! A complete lump.~_ But he didn't dare say it aloud, as crushing was Elim's solution for most issues.

"Yes... " Darius replied as he stood from his perch on the console behind Lessli's left shoulder. His bright, magenta eyes swept over the larger man for a brief moment, as he attempted to process his meaning, "...crushing... _Or_, just an idea of course: we could change tactics. Perhaps we could find a way to bring the Target to us."

Lessli considered this proposal. Elim considered crushing. The trick was to get Lessli to respond before Elim registered the personal slight and initiated the painful crushing of young Darius. So far, he'd been doing rather well at this. He had been one of the original ten Collectors following his Lessli. After three nasty crushings they'd had to replace with three new associates - one of whom became another unfortunate crushing casualty - two more of the original Collectors were killed shortly after; though to be fair, only one of these last two deaths was technically Elim's doing. It all really was a very nasty buisness, and then there was the actual hunting. Luckily for him, Darius was a bit of a sociopathic genius, so he was a natural at it. Just in time, Lessli turned away from the window/wall to address him.

"What do you propose?" He asked, stopping Elim's movement with a single look from his darker magenta eyes. Darius smiled. This was going to be fun.

* * *

><p>The Doctor had quickly led the way back to the TARDIS and darted inside to begin studying the footage. Jyun had gotten to work at once on repairing the damage to the TARDIS the hijacking had caused. It was, according to Jyun, nothing to worry about - only minor damage. Amy got the feeling he was trying to rationalize staying close to the Doctor. She wondered why he felt he had to. It was kind of sweet, really, but also made her feel a little sad. She wasn't sure why. There was just something in Jyun's eyes. She went over to stand beside the Doctor at the console.<p>

"Hey." He barely reacted to her presence. She kept on trying, anyway. "Have you found anything yet?"

"No." The Doctor replied, his eyes briefly flickering over to where Jyun was half-hidden underneath some metal flooring. "Nothing yet. He just appears, runs through town on what seems to be a planned route, and when he gets to the roof and sends out the signal, he just mocks the Collectors for a bit and disappears. The only things I've been able to gather from this are: that he's a cocky bastard, and he's on some kind of time limit."

"How did you see that?" Amy inquired, leaning closer to look at the screen.

"He keeps checking his watch." The Doctor said scrolling back and showing her. "See? Here, and then again, here... and here. I think he knew a pre-set time when he would disappear again. That's why he was so relaxed when the collectors caught up to him."

"Well, that's pretty good, right? You've got something." Amy offered, consoling him.

"Don't." He paused for a moment, closing his eyes, and trying to get ahold of himself before he continued more calmly. "Please don't patronize me, Amy. I should have gotten further than this by now. The answer is there. I know there's something there, something important, but I just keep missing it."

"You're just distracted and there's nothing wrong with that." Amy replied evenly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I'm not blind either. I can see there's something going on between the two of you. Go talk to him."

The Doctor began to protest, but she stopped him.

"Go on. Give the human a chance to take a look at the evidence. Couldn't hurt now, could it?" She insisted, so he acquiesced and went over to speak with his old friend.

He walked down the steps quietly before coming to sit next to the gap in the flooring currently occupied by Jyun. Jyun paused for a moment, peeking out at him with only one bright ochre eye before he ducked back out of sight.

"Oh. You."

"Yes, it is, and we need to talk." The Doctor replied.

"Then keep talking."

"You're hiding something." The Doctor pointed out. "Is it because you don't trust me anymore or is one of you going to tell me later how you were just doing this to protect me again?"

"Not hiding from you. Doing repairs." Jyun replied simply.

"And that was you answering without answering, which is what you do instead of lying." The Doctor noted. "Why are you trying to deceive me?"

"It's none of your business."

"I'm trying to take care of you, Jyun. I can't do that if you don't trust me enough to-"

"Then I guess I'm on my own. I remember where this goes, Doctor. I don't intend to lose all over again."

"Jyun." The Doctor replied more softly, his tone almost pleading. "You don't have to be on your own. Not this time. I never meant-"

"Spanner please." Jyun interrupted, his emotionless mask now fully in place. The Doctor swallowed, reining in his own emotions before he calmly passed Jyun the spanner. Then they heard the scream. The Doctor jumped to his feet turning back to Jyun as he pushed himself out from under the flooring.

"No. You stay here this time." He ordered briskly before running of out the TARDIS doors to check it out.

"Doctor!"Jyun called trying to stop him. This didn't feel right. Amy came hurrying down the staircase a moment later with Rory right behind her.

"Wait. Stop. No." Jyun recited dispassionately; slightly surprised when Rory actually listened, slowing to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, he nearly blinked. After a split second of mild shock Jyun continued. "Oh. Grab her. Grab her...and there she goes. Two down, I guess."

"What?" Rory asked, sounding fairly unsettled.

"Did that seem right at all to you?" Jyun replied, then, at Rory's confused expression, he added, "Well, they'll be trying to split us up, won't they? Who else is there to scream?"

Rory's eyes widened and he moved towards the door.

"Amy!" Jyun rolled his eyes and grabbed him by the arm.

"No. We need to stick together." He explained slowly, as if speaking to an utter simpleton. "She's safe with the Doctor. He's quite fond of Terrans."

"What are we supposed to do, then?" Rory asked impatiently. Jyun held out a hand.

"Phone?"

* * *

><p>Amy ran at top speed after the Doctor, finally catching up to him just as he slowed down.<p>

"Somebody screamed." He was muttering to himself. "There's nobody here to scream... Amelia why are you still following me?"

"Still feeling grumpy, then?" Amy replied, pleasantly, then grabbed his arm as she saw a small someone run across the street ahead of them. "This feels like a trap doesn't it?"

"Oh, yes!" The Doctor agreed, and they chased after the little running figure. They ran down an alley, then another street, then another alley which ended in a dead end. The little figure turned back to them, slowly growing larger until she was back to her below-average adult size.

"You again!" Amy exclaimed, testily. It was once again the petite blonde hologram they'd seen in the resturaunt, only this time she was dressed as some futuristic police officer.

"So, a trap, then." The Doctor concluded nonchalantly. "I thought so."

The Hologram pointed at them like a child miming imaginary pistols, only when she mimicked firing, two bursts of green light shot from her fingers, hitting Amy and the Doctor and stunning them. She raised her mimed guns to her lips and blew away the smoke with a satisfied smirk. The Doctor, who wasn't actually knocked out, thought that was just a little too cute.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Um... Okay so there you have it another chapter for your enjoyment. Hopefully it pleases. It's got more action, more angst, a confusing hallway and my own personal favorite: the wittily stoic Jyun, also of course- the crushing. Oh, and in case you were wondering here's what Elim was trying to say:

"We just need to come at it harder. The scrawny relic has just been lucky is all. We should just move in and crush him!"

And no it isn't an extreme accent he's just an incredibly inarticulate member of his species and I imagine Darius is a much more learned member from a (more or less) similar class. Anyways, thank you all for reading. Special thanks go to mericat for reviewing. Please review, I need your feedback!


	29. Why!

"So they're gone then." Rory concluded miserably, slumping in his seat as Jyun looked over the updated scans. Jyun took another bite of his red licorice and gazed across the console at him.

"You know, shooting me a look really would work better if you had an actual facial expression to shoot at me." Rory informed him despondently. Jyun raised an eyebrow at him, apparently unwilling to halt his candy consumption. "That's a start. It might be easier if you just talked though. The licorice can't be _that_ good."

Jyun finally paused in his snacking for a moment to reply.

"They've left the surface. Doesn't mean they're gone." Jyun said, taking another small bite of candy. "Also, I'm hungry. So I'm eating a lot. Deal with it."

"It's hardly healthy for you. You've had nothing but sugar: first the chocolates, then the cupcakes, and now you're eating all the licorice. It doesn't seem very nutritionally sound. Maybe you should try.. something...else.." Rory trailed off as Jyun eyed him with a rather unsettling look in his golden eyes. Jyun took another slower, more deliberate bite of his licorice before tearing his gaze from Rory's throat and going back to whatever he was doing at the controls. Rory swallowed nervously.

"I'm not like you." Jyun reminded him. "You don't know what I need."

Rory cleared his throat, asking in a slightly shaky voice.

"What, um, what are you doing now?"

To his credit Jyun dropped the earlier topic, acting as if nothing strange or disturbing had ever occured between them.

"Scanning for vessels in orbit. The Collectors are likely to be monitoring New Vegas from onboard their ship." Jyun then straightened and looked over at Rory. "I found them."

"Amy and the Doctor?"

"Everyone." Rory moved around to the other side of the pillar to join him and Jyun tilted the screen to show him. "Wow. That is a really big ship."

* * *

><p>Amy didn't so much gradually regain consciousness as she found herself suddenly being beaten over the head with it while simultaneously being bombarded by random queries from her frazzled brain like<em> ~When did I pass out? Where am I? Why can't I move? Wasn't the Doctor with me?~ <em>And, oddly: ~_Why a blonde?~ _She decided to ignore the last random question as she became more aware and began to answer the relevant ones. She and the Doctor had gotten zapped by that obnoxious hologram. She was in a sparsely furnished metallic room, The thick iron mesh covering the overhead lights cast a criscross pattern over everything, and she could hear the low hum of gigantic engines from somewhere below her. ~_So, probably a spaceship then. Great. At least the Doctor's here with me. We can get out of this, and I just can't move because I'm tied to a chair. Hey! They tied me to a chair! Oh come now, that's just too much! Where in the world do they think I could possibly run off to?~_ She tugged at the ropes reproachfully.

"Is this really necessary!" She exclaimed moodily. "Where the hell could I go!"

She already had a rather nasty headache and the humming coming from the engines and the uncomfortable bindings were only making it worse.

"Shh!" Came the unexpected reply from right beside her.

"Doctor? You're awake!"

"Yes, Amy. I have been for a while actually, but I was hoping to avoid notice for a little longer." The Doctor replied.

"Oops, Sorry." Amy said more quietly this time.

"Oh, never mind. They've probably heard you now, anyway. How are you feeling?"

"Oh, I'm alright I guess. It's just a headache." The door in front of them slid open and two muscular blue aliens in shiny blue-black jumpsuits stepped into the room. The bigger one, who had to be at least seven feet tall and was built like a bodybuilder's perfect idol, moved to stand by the door, eyeing them threateningly with pale blue eyes. The other one, who looked probably about a half foot taller than the Doctor, was equally imposing in his own way. He stepped forward to stand over Amy with a polite smile that didn't even come close to reaching his dark magenta eyes.

"Oh, yes. I do apologize for that, my dear. It's an unfortunate side-effect of the stun-ray. It should pass shortly, and as for you Doctor." He moved to stand in front of the Doctor. "I must admit we were unsure of the effect it would have on your physiology. We'd never tested it on a member your species before, though your capture was necessary in order to complete our contract. It's nothing personal, you understand."

"Yes, of course." The Doctor replied conversationally. "Just doing your job, I'm sure."

Amy couldn't help but shoot the Doctor a disbelieving look at that, but luckily, the big blue aliens didn't seem to take note of it.

"Indeed. That is presicely it. You see Elim? Just as I told you!" The larger hunter 'Elim' apparently, replied with a short grunt and something that sounded like.

"Esser boz." That Amy and the Doctor guessed was an agreement.

"Could you tell me then, since we're only necessary prisoners, after all. What exactly is your specific contract this time?" The Doctor asked.

"Oh, now, now, Doctor. I can't have you trying to run off and sabotage my plans can I? I have heard of you, you know. A truly moral man. A great role model for the children. I don't believe you'll be at all pleased with my employer's intentions." The more intelligible of their captors replied.

"No, really, you can tell me." The Doctor assured him. "I'm your prisoner. Besides, you have heard of me, which means you should know that I'm bound to find out either way. It will really just be easier on both of us in the long run."

The Collector paused for a moment, considering this, before he crouched down to face the Doctor eye-to-eye.

"You know the Target?" He said, looking the Doctor straight in the eye, his amiable facade vanishing to be replaced by a stony expression. "I understand you two have quite the history. Your battles were the thing of legend."

The Doctor nodded.

"It is also said that you two may be the very last of a great people." The Doctor was watching his face very sternly now, seeing where this was headed.

"They are." Amy confirmed after the silence began to stretch a little too long. The Collector barely spared her a glance before standing and giving the Doctor a small nod.

"Then I am sorry for your loss."

"No! You leave him alone!" Amy exclaimed "He's done nothing to you exept try to defend himself!"

"Oh, humans. Such sweet, delicate little creatures, aren't they? I suppose that's why you're so fond of them."

"He's no longer a threat." The Doctor said evenly, ignoring the implication, while Amy glared furiously up at their captor. "I will make sure of that. There is no need for you to kill him."

"Our client believes otherwise." The Collector responded simply, "Personally, I'm inclined to agree."

"I'm warning you. You really should let this one go." They were already heading out the door but at the Doctor's threatening tone, the more talkative Collector stopped in the doorway to listen. "I'm giving you chance. Just stop now before you do something you're going to regret."

The Collector turned with a cold smile curving his lips.

"I am honored, but I really must decline." He replied before heading out, the door sliding shut behind him with a soft click.

* * *

><p>"We need to get onto that ship and the simplest way to do that would be through their own transmat system." Jyun explained patiently.<p>

"There has to be a better way." Rory argued.

"If you know one, say it." Jyun responded, continuing to toy with a long thin, unfinished bit of circuitry that Rory doubted had anything at all to do with the plan.

"I don't have one." Rory admitted, wondering how on Earth Jyun could think he'd know anything about transmat systems.

"So we'll stick to mine." Jyun concluded. "We'll head back out into the city. You wait until I'm hidden from sight nearby, then call attention to yourself and let yourself get captured. While they're taking you, I can latch onto the transmat-beam and replicate it's frequency. I'll be able to break you out along with the others."

"It's not your abilities that I have a problem with."

"You don't trust me?"

"Not really, no."

"I see. How clever of you." Jyun replied, not at all offended. "We're doing it."

* * *

><p>About a half an hour later, Jyun was waiting quietly in his hiding place just outside Milliways. It seemed all his training from before the Time War was still quite a useful asset to them after all. The combat-averse Doctor would probably never admit it though. Jyun felt secretly smug about that as he easily crept past the city's surveillance system with relative ease and quickly slipped into a gap inbetween two shipping crates in the back alley just on the edge of the camera's range. He curled up comfortably in his new hiding spot, waiting for Rory to do his part and draw the Collector's notice. It was perfect, really, that this latest regeneration was not only on the small side, but also quite conveniently flexible. Rory came into view and hesitantly went inside Milliways. Jyun really hoped he just stuck to the plan. <em>~Just go straight to the desk. start meddling wi<em>t_h the Holographic systems. Just as I told you. It shouldn't take long to catch their attention. It's so simple. They don't even really care about you, so just do it and let them take you. Just do it. There! Here they are.~_

Jyun pulled out the scanner and quickly latched onto the signal as two of the Collectors, well.. collected Rory and beamed him back to their ship. He followed close behind them.

* * *

><p>"So, are you going to to tell me what the plan is? Doctor?" Amy asked struggling against her bindings. "You have a plan, yeah?"<p>

"I will do." The Doctor confirmed continuing to sit still and stare thoughtfully at the wall. "Could you stop fidgeting for a moment please?"

"Yes.. Why?"

"It's just that- Oh, wait! Someone's coming."

The metal door slid open and two large and unfamiliar-looking blue figures pushed Rory forward into the room. One set up a chair for him on the Doctor's other side and shoved him into it.

"Hey, guys. Long time, no see." Rory greeted lightly, though he looked nervous.

"Hello, Rory? Where's Jyun? He wasn't with you, was he?" The Doctor asked matching his tone.

"Oh, no. You know he's around somewhere..." Rory replied vaguely, as one of the Collectors began to tie him up. "Um, sorry, but - tying me to a chair? Really? That's a bit camp isn't it? I mean, we're on your ship. Where exactly do you think I'm going to run?"

"See!" Amy added victoriously. "That's exactly what I said!"

The Collectors just ignored them, silently tying up Rory in his metal chair, and then silently leaving, sealing the door behind them. The Doctor waited until he was sure they were out of earshot.

"So, Rory. Why are you here?"

"Transmat."

"I was afraid you might say that."

"Why is that a bad thing?"

"They've got a kill order on Koschei. They only captured us to get the Doctor out of the way." Amy answered grimly.

"Oh, that is bad." Rory agreed. "So what do we do now, then?"

"I need to talk to their leader again." The Doctor decided.

"How are we going get him to come see us?" Amy inquired.

"Oh, I don't imagine it'll be too long now." The Doctor replied, knowingly.

* * *

><p>The Collector that had been manning the transmat station finally finished checking the logs and left. Jyun dropped from the ceiling above the doorway and slipped out the closing door. He checked the bright white hallways carefully for any others before padding silently down it and heading right at the fork as he followed the familliar feel of the only other Timelord consciousness to it's source. He didn't have very much time before they noticed the discrepancy in the transmat records and realized he was onboard. So he kept moving quickly but steathily through their ship, trying to get as close to the place they were holding the Doctor as he could before they actually started looking for him<em>. ~Thank Rassilon for decades of millitary training, the bastard.~<em> To be honest, neither he, nor any other Gallifreyan he knew of, had ever liked this kind of lighting system, but at least having the light radiating from all the walls and the ceiling, and -he noticed with minor irritation- even the floor, in equal measure meant he didn't have to worry about casting a shadow at all. He realized that this level of radiant lighting would indicate this species probably had an inferior sense of sight and needed noticeably more light and more contrast in their surroundings to see. This would seem to be a possible advantage as long as he could fend off the headache long enough.

He'd actually gotten pretty far before he once again had to duck out of sight as two more Collectors came down the hallway. They stopped uncomfortably close to the corner he was hiding behind as their comms beeped. He held his breath. The last time he'd had to hide, he'd noticed that what the Collectors lacked in visual acuity, they easily made up for with their extremely acute sense of hearing. He couldn't quite make out what was being said over the communicators, but he didn't really have to, though hearing the word 'kill' was message enough. They knew he was on the ship and they were sounding the alert. One of them charged his laser pistol, and Jyun heard him moving towards him.

"Nice try." The Collector said, as he came round the corner. Jyun had already moved on. Behind the other pile of crates, Jyun's head drooped forward. The other Collector laughed. "Oh come on, Master. You can't hide forever."

The other one checked behind the crates as he joined in the taunting; nothing there.

"I know you're still here. We can hear your heart beating." He turned, hearing a movement behind him, but when he looked, there was nothing there. "We know all about you. You may be a tricky little bastard, but you're also small and breakable. You can't survive us both and you won't get away."

"Really?" Came the conversational reply from directly above the first Collector, the split second before the target dropped down on top of him, grabbing his own blade out of its sheath and stabbing him with it. Then he rolled across the hallway to hide behind the pile of crates. The second Collector shot at him as he did so, but it had been too quick for him to get a proper aim, and he missed. He quickly hurried over to kill the target, but when he got to the crates, the Master had already slipped away again. "I'll admit-" The Master's voice said, calmly from directly behind him - he spun round to shoot him, but with a dark greyish blur in his peripheral vison, the Master was out of sight again. The wall behind him flickered, the photogenerative membrane having been damaged by the laser-fire. "Physical strength is definitely useful." The Collector fired up at the ceiling, but once again he failed to kill the target, this time only winging an arm as the Master dropped down beside him and slashed his side with the stolen blade before vanishing from sight again, The ceiling light flickered as well now. The Collector growled and chased after him around the corner. The Master kicked a crate into him, then leapt down off the pile and pinned his shoulder to the wall with the blade. The Collector roared in pain and anger, trying to free himself as the Master inspected his bleeding arm. "I've always found that speed is much better."

More Collectors were coming their way. The Master began to run away down the hall, but as he passed the Collector he'd stabbed, the wounded hunter grabbed his ankle and tripped him, before swinging him headfirst into the other pile of crates, knocking him out.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Happy holidays guys! Feel the love. Lol. I am probably inappropriately pleased with the reintroduction of the Master's vicious side but hey, honestly, you all had to know he wasn't _really_ all that tame anyway. This chapter ended up being a little shorter than I'd originally planned but I really needed to find a stopping point for it and this was unfortunately the most suitable place, sorry. Anyway, thank you all for reading. Special thanks to Ignis Lupus for reviewing. As always please review. Your comments help me a lot. Come on it could be a holiday cheer type thing... I hope you get what I mean cause I'm not 100% on that myself but whatever.


	30. 4 Reasons Not to Hunt the Master ptII

Three more Collectors came to stand over the unconscious black-and-white form on the floor, charging their pulse rifles as they aimed them at him in perfect unison. He mumbled something as he began to regain awareness.

"Er.. what?" One of the Collectors asked.

The others glared at him.

"I said," The Timelord replied testily. "This is really going to hurt."

And then a big burst of white-hot energy exploded out of his body, smacking into the three Collectors with all the subtlety of a semi, knocking them back down the hallway and singeing their chests. He pushed himself up off the ground carefully, rising to his feet, and then stumbled over to lean against the wall.

"Ooof. That was exhausting- but it was _good_ wasn't it?" He cooed, watching two of the Collectors get up from the floor with feverish eyes. The middle one didn't move at all, and his chest was steaming profusely. "You know, I rather enjoyed that. I might even do it again!"

The one on the left, who had somehow managed to keep ahold of his rifle, looked over at his deceased comrade, and then at his ostensibly deranged target, obviously trying to mask his fear and anger. The shorter, in fact the smallest Collector pushed himself up with a little more difficulty to survey the situation. It was clear that while he found the smell of singed flesh distasteful, he wasn't masking any strong emotions regarding the lost man. He apparently didn't care. His brilliant magenta eyes calmly studied his quarry, calculating his next move as if this were nothing more than a simple game of chess. _~Ah yes, a complete sociopath. A clever one, too. No problem there.~_ Sure enough, he made no move to retrieve his rifle, just crossed his arms and leaned his back against the wall unthreateningly, never breaking eye contact with the Master. He'd calculated the risk and decided it just wasn't worth it. His buddy was in no way pleased with his behavior.

"You damned coward, Darius! You're just going to sit there!" He yelled accusingly.

'Darius' just glanced over at him, and shrugged._ ~Standing.~ _Thought the Master.

"You're welcome to join me." He offered casually. The other man shouted something that didn't quite translate about dirty half-breeds and their soft, Terran mothers _~Ah, so that explains the size difference.~_ and then went after the Master on his own. The Master, aided by adrenaline and the last decent burst of energy he had left in him, rolled to the side, grabbing the first Collector's pistol and shooting him right between the eyes with it. He glanced over at Darius, who shook his head, holding his hands out in a half-hearted, submissive gesture. The Master hurried off, down the hallway before he could change his mind.

* * *

><p>"So that's the plan then?" Rory clarified. "We wait for them to come back and talk to us, and hope that you can somehow convince them to let us go instead of killing us all."<p>

"Oh no, not exactly. They aren't interested in killing _us;_ they just want us out of the way so that they can carry out their orders." The Doctor replied calmly. "But yes, I am going to try to talk them into letting us go."

Amy struggled against her ropes again, even though she'd realized by now that it was no good.

"Doctor-" She stopped as the door slid open and two familiar blue figures stepped into the room. One looked less friendly than last time and more aggravated. The other one looked as mindlessly aggressive as before, although he seemed perhaps just a tad more confused this time.

"Doctor." The aggravated Collector acknowledged.

"Yes, that's me. You know, I never caught your name. What was-"

"Lessli." The Collector snapped.

"Really?" Amy asked, surprised.

"Yes. Stop wasting my time."

"I expect you're here because of the Master. Aren't you?" The Doctor asked, undeterred. "He's gotten aboard and he's looking for us..."

"He's killed three of my men already." Lessli informed them angrily. "You said that he wasn't a threat. You were wrong, and now you're going to tell me how to stop him."

"Let us go." The Doctor replied.

"After he is captured, but not one moment sooner."

"You don't understand. He wasn't a threat because he had us, but you captured us, and left him alone and unguarded, and now he's wreaking havoc because he's completely uncontrolled. You asked me how to stop this and I am telling you how. If you want this to stop, you will let us go."

The Collector leaned down so that he was inches away from the Doctor's face.

"I will stop this when I kill him." The Doctor's expression turned stony and he stared directly into Lessli's eyes.

"Then I'm sorry. I can't save you." A vicious smile stretched across Lessli's face as he stood, and another Collector entered, releasing Rory from the chair without untying his hands. Lessli did the same to Amy.

"Oh, but you _will_ help me." Lessli drawled as they began to lead Amy and Rory out of the room.

"Wait. What are you doing! Let me go!" Amy protested, wriggling in the Collector's iron grip.

"Elim," Lessli prompted. "He's all yours."

* * *

><p>The Master raced through the halls. He no longer had the time, nor the energy, to be quite as sneaky as Jyun had before, but he was managing to keep out of sight pretty well so far. He stopped short as he heard the sound of heavy footsteps coming from up ahead, and quickly hid behind one of the heavy-duty buttresses reinforcing the wall. As they came closer, he heard a clearly irate, extremely familiar, female voice shouting, accompanied by the thumps and bangs of her struggling fiercely against her captors.<p>

"Let us go! He was trying to help you! You can't do this! Listen to me. You have to let us go!" Amy added a frustrated half roar/half shriek as the Collector holding her ignored her warnings and hugged her to his chest so that her feet lifted off the ground. He laughed, clearly amused by her useless thrashing.

"Rory!" She yelled, and he murmured something in response that sounded annoyingly hopeless, even if the Master couldn't quite make out the words. The Master rolled his eyes. _~Must I do everything? Well of course. Bloody useless...~_ As the group came closer, the Master steeled himself for the confrontation. Just as they were about to pass him, he charged his stolen pistol. The Collector holding Rory reached for his weapon at the sound, but the Master shot him in the arm before he could grab it. Rory yanked himself free and elbowed his wounded captor in the face.

"Much better." The Master remarked. "Duck." He added, as the other Collector shot at Rory. Luckily, Rory immediately dropped to the floor, so he missed. The Master quickly aimed his weapon as the Collector spun, holding Amy up in front of him as a human shield.

"Drop it!" He ordered, poking his gun into her chest threateningly, directly over her heart. The Master smiled slightly as he noticed he was favoring his left.

"Ah, you again. Tell me: how's the shoulder?" The Master mocked, his bright ochre eyes flicked briefly over to Amy's face.

"I said, drop it, or the Terran girl dies!" The wounded Collector growled. The Master appeared unconcerned. Amy was terrified, but she shook her head at him none the less. The Collector charged his pistol, calling the Timelord's attention back to himself.

"Master..." Rory said tensely. Amy swallowed. The Master slowly relaxed his gun arm, his gaze shifting back to look Amy in the eye. Just as the Collector began to relax as well, the Master's arm snapped back up incredibly fast and a shot rang out. Amy flinched, and the dead body behind her dropped to the floor with a heavy thud. The Master smirked, then pointed his gun at the dead man's angry comrade who had begun to push himself up off the ground with a growl.

"Ooh, please." The Master coaxed silkily. "Just give me a reason."

The Collector froze. Amy held a hand to her ear, still ringing from the gunshot, her wide eyes flicking from the Master to the Collector.

"You don't have to kill him." She said a little too loudly. The Master ignored her. He looked like a cat considering an exceptionally tasty garden snake.

"The Doctor's in trouble!" Rory piped up suddenly. They all turned to look at him.

"Yeah. We don't have time for this. We've got to go now." Amy agreed after a beat of silence. "They're hurting him!"

The Master growled.

"Don't!" Rory exclaimed, jumping to his feet. The Master frowned, then pulled his arm back and hit the Collector's head unnecessarily hard with the butt of the gun. He dropped to the floor. Amy cringed, grabbing the Master's arm, and dragging him along beside her as they ran back the way they'd come. Rory took up their tail.

* * *

><p>Elim was leaning over the Doctor with one beefy hand around his throat. The Doctor's lip was bleeding and Elim had cut off his oxygen, but other than the pain in his neck from the tightness of Elim's grip, that wasn't a terrible problem...yet. <em>~I wonder if anyone's told him about respiratory bypass?~<em> The Doctor thought to himself randomly. _~Oh no. Here he comes.~ _Someone shot the locking mechanism outside, and the door slid open to reveal the Master and Amy standing in the doorway. Elim let go of the Doctor's throat, allowing the back legs of his chair to smack the metal flooring with a loud clang and immediately threw the empty chair at the Master. Who ducked behind the doorframe and shot at Elim, hitting him in the side, but the giant just kept coming. The Collector grabbed the Master, yanking him into the room. Amy and Rory dove into the room after him. Amy darted over to help the Doctor, while Rory tried hitting Elim in the back with the chair. Sadly Rory's efforts had disturbingly little effect. Elim threw the Master into the wall before turning to Rory.

"Oh um.." Rory muttered fearfully. "Help?"

The Master stumbled to his feet with some difficulty. He was disturbingly pale now. That was really saying something as his skin had already been almost paper-white to begin with. Now it was nearly translucent. Amy hurried to get the Doctor untied faster.

"Master..." Rory called, backing away.

"Shock him?" Amy asked hopefully. The Master leaned against the wall, shooting her an exhausted, annoyed expression.

"Demanding, aren't we?" He replied breathlessly. Elim lunged forward to punch Rory, smashing the crate behind him when he ducked out of the way.

"Bloody hell!" Rory exclaimed. Amy freed the Doctor of the last of his restraints, and he jumped up, pulling Rory to his feet.

"Run!" He shouted, and they all fled as quickly as they could manage. When they were almost free, Elim caught the Master's arm and pulled him back into the room.

"No!" The Doctor cried, trying to grab his friend's pale hand as the Master reached for him instinctively. Elim threw the Master behind him, toppling the pile of crates to block the doorway. The Master once again began to get up off the floor. Before he managed to stand, Elim grabbed him around the middle, pulling him into a crushing mockery of a hug.

The smaller man thrashed as the air was forced from his lungs, his ribs straining under the pressure. His eyes began to glaze over, his movements slowing. He could hear the others shouting, but it was muted, as if he were hearing it under rushing water. No, this wasn't right. He saw a flash of white across his vision. Then familiar chocolate brown eyes staring accusingly into his. _~You promised!~_ Came the stern reminder. _~You're not finished yet.~_

The Master's eyes snapped open; with a surge of anger and determination, he forced his head forward to bite down, hard, on his would-be killer's soft neck. The giant screamed, and his grip loosened. The Master dug his nails into the hunter's jumpsuit before pulling his head back, his teeth ripping a nasty wound open at the point where neck met shoulder. His attacker promptly dropped him to press his hands to the wound. The Master stood, still growling, and stepped over the huddled form, swallowing something fluid... There was deep violet blood dripping down his chin, and his pupils were dilated. He stumbled toward the barrier, and began systematically knocking crates out of his way in complete silence. He still hadn't looked at the others. The Doctor wordlessly helped from the other side. Once he'd managed to get through, he just leaned against the wall for another moment, feeling the two humans staring at him, and resolutely ignoring the Doctor, who was giving a rag to their attacker to press to his wound. _~Typical! I should have just killed him. Why didn't I kill him?~_

"Master-" The Doctor began as they headed toward the transmat room.

"Let's try to be quiet." The Master responded quickly. He pushed ahead for a little while, but then stumbled, and the Doctor had to grab him around the waist to stop him smacking his head against a buttress. He studied the Master's face with growing concern.

"You've overtaxed yourself." He concluded, absently wiping the other Timelord's face.

"Really? I hadn't noticed." The Master snapped, pushing him away and bracing himself against the wall as he continued forward. "Don't just stand around staring. We're almost there."

The others began to move again, but they all kept looking over at him. When they had finally gotten to the transmat room, the Doctor hurried over to the controls, pulling out his sonic and quickly hacking into the terminal.

"Hurry, get onto the pad. Quickly now." He urged them. Someone was running towards them. Rory sped over to the door panel as Amy and the Master got onto the pad.

"Green button." The Doctor prompted. Rory hit the green button, and the Doctor sonic-ed the panel so the doors would be stuck in lockdown. They ran up to the pad just as the Collector began to bang on the doors. They vanished, to reappear in the middle of the brightly colored street in front of Milliways. Rory and Amy let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Oh, that was too close." Rory remarked. Amy laughed, leaning forward to rest her hands on her knees.

"No kidding." She said giddily. The Master took a couple steps forward, then turned around to address the others, looking dazed.

"Just to let you know... I'm going to pass out." He informed them seriously, then promptly collapsed into the Doctor's arms.

* * *

><p>.<p>

**A/N:** Okay, dear readers, here you are: another chapter just a tad later than originally intended. Sorry about that but I do at least have a decent excuse for it. I suffer from chronic migraines and I had to postpone well... posting this because of a nasty two day long one. I think the semi-delirium it caused may have effected my writing but hopefully not detrimentally. I think I salvaged it okay. I hope so... Anyway, thanks muchly for reading this! I hope you enjoyed this! I will try to be more punctual with the next update. Please, please review I'd really like to hear from you about this chapter especially!


	31. Utter Nonsense

_The Master opened his eyes in the dreamscape. He stood and brushed himself off, looking around at the familiar hallway in Naismith Mansion._

_"So, no luck then." He noted, walking over and throwing the double doors wide open, entering the workcenter, not even halting in the slightest to acknowledge Jyun as he strode purposefully over to Koschei's motionless form._

_"Still no change?" He asked the stoic alter as he knelt beside the pale, huddled form of their core personality._

_"He moved." Jyun reported, clasping his hands behind his back. It took a second for the Master to register what he'd just heard; even __**he **__had adopted the subliminal asumption that nothing dramatic or shocking could be said by the unexpressive alter._

_"What?" His head snapped up to look over his shoulder at Jyun. Of course it actually could happen. He just had the tendency to make it seem unspectacular if you weren't paying full attention_

_"It was a change." Jyun replied, patiently._

_"I realize- When?"_

_"Your brief lack of consciousness. I heard you cursing out in the hall, and he moved. Then I looked into the hall, but you'd already manifested."_

_The Master leaned over Koschei, looking for any clue... but he was still in exactly the same position as before. He was careful not to touch him. There was no real reason why, but both alters got the lingering impression that they should avoid contact with him while he was like this. They weren't even sure if this was to protect him or them._

_"His shoulders... jolted as if he had been shocked and his left hand twitched." Jyun explained, still standing behind him. The Master was studying Koschei closely. When he didn't reply, Jyun decided to continue. "We need to solve this. The Doctor's becoming curious. We can't keep this secret indefinitely."_

* * *

><p>The Doctor carried the Master up to his room and laid him down gently on his bed. Amy and Rory followed quietly behind him. Rory looked a little taken aback when he saw Koschei's little project.<p>

"What is he doing to the wall?" He asked quietly, as the Doctor scanned the Master with his sonic.

"Oh, that." Amy replied just as quietly. "Koschei's been trying to remember what happened to him."

"I see." Rory pointed up at a sketch in the corner. "Is that your picture?"

"Yes. He sort of - dreamed of me before we met." Amy explained awkwardly. "It's a long story."

She then moved over to stand at the bedside next to where the Doctor was sitting.

"Will he be alright?"

"Yes, I think so. He's mostly just overtired. He's drained again though. So he'll be absolutely famished when he wakes up." The Doctor replied, pocketing his screwdriver. Amy leaned down to adjust his blankets in a motherly manner. The Doctor stood up and walked over to stand by Rory, running a hand through his hair and eyeing the notes Koschei had attached, haphazardly, to the abused wall. Rory shifted uncomfortably, feeling a spike of jealousy as he saw Amy brush a lock of hair out of Koschei's eyes. Then Amy gasped in shock pulling her hand away.

* * *

><p><em>The Master just gave a short nod to show he was listening, and Jyun finally decided to join him. He knelt down gracefully next to the other alter.<em>

_"What are you looking for?" Jyun asked, running his eyes over Koschei carefully before returning his gaze to the Master's frown. "He does not appear to have changed position."_

_"I'm not sure. Something is different, I know it. I'm just not sure what." The Master replied, leaning slightly closer. Then everything seemed to flicker for a split second, and a pair of bright yellow eyes snapped open, staring straight into his. Jyun jumped back, as, with a ripping sound, one pale, white arm tore out of the straight jacket and grabbed the Master's wrist. Both Koschei's and the Master's eyes flashed bright white for a moment before the Master slumped over limply on top of Koschei's chest, apparently asleep. Koschei looked up at him with a dazed expression._

_"It's impossible, we're living backwards." Koschei shook his head as if trying to shake some sense into himself. A goal that had Jyun's full approval. "No, no, waitwaitwait we're all the time." He let out a little snort of ill-contained laughter. "Twice."_

_Jyun blinked. Koschei lost it, practically shaking with mirth. After another minute of staring at an inordinately amused Koschei, cradling a limp, motionless Master, Jyun thought it best to go have a sit down at one of the workstations. He stared thoughtfully at the blank computer screen in front of him, feeling extremely lost._

* * *

><p>The Doctor darted back over to the bedside, nudging Amy out of his way.<p>

"What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything! I barely touched him!" Amy exclaimed. A strange light had shined out of the spot on the Master's forehead where her fingers had brushed, and was spreading quickly over his whole body. The Doctor straightened from where he had been leaning over the other Timelord and looked Amy in the face, closer than was considered polite.

"You touched him?"

"Um, yes?"

"On the forehead." The Doctor added, studying her face intently.

"Yes." Amy said, swallowing nervously.

"You touched him on the forehead and then light came out." The Doctor said, leaning in closer so that she found herself beginning to draw back slightly. "That's interesting." And then he plopped down next to their glowing companion and once again began scanning him with his sonic.

"Hmmm..."

"Doctor?" Rory asked, moving to stand beside Amy.

"That doesn't make any sense." The Doctor muttered, looking at his sonic and then knocking it against the bedside table.

"It's almost finished spreading." Rory observed tensely. The Doctor tried his sonic again, then looked at it reproachfully.

"_What_?" He asked it, and looked over the almost completely glowing form in the bed, his mind working quickly. The glow was almost completely covering his friend's body. "Not good... touch him again."

"What?" Amy asked a little too loudly. The Doctor moved to give her more room.

"Just try it. Touch him again." She moved forward to kneel next to her brilliantly shining friend and gently grasped his hand. To her surprise, the light reversed its spread at the touch, swiftly receding back towards their joined hands and fading away. Rory let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and Amy leaned her head against the mattress before turning to look at the Doctor.

"What just happened?"

"I don't know. Scans didn't make sense." The Doctor answered honestly.

"Then how did you know I could stop it?" Amy asked incredulously.

"Koschei remembered you before he met you. That didn't make sense either." The Doctor said cryptically, fiddling with one of the scraps Koschei had speared to the wall with a hatpin. Amy just stared at him, wide eyed, as he turned and walked out, heading down to the control room.

* * *

><p>The Doctor was already working intently at one of the screens when Rory came down the stairs to join him. He didn't even look up as Rory arrived beside him.<p>

"Those are the scans of the Collector's ship, right?" Rory asked casually. The Doctor nodded.

"Yep." He answered, popping the 'p' at the end. Rory waited quietly, having seen Jyun employ the same technique to get the Doctor talking. He seemed to be uncomfortable with silence. Sure enough, a moment later the Doctor had burst into another rush of rapid flowing explanation.

"They're keeping the population on board their ship in stasis. The TARDIS had no trouble picking up the output from the stasis fields. I've just pinpointed their Stationary Generation Matrix by following the energy signature from the stasis field's origins in their cargo bay down to the engineering decks." The Doctor said, finally looking away from the screen to face Rory, who marvelled that the Doctor had said all that in one breath. "It looks like a fairly advanced system, possibly state of the art, maybe even an L-class prototype, but I can't be positive. Engineering was more Jyun's thing."

The Doctor sobered, and thankfully, paused in his verbal flood at the thought of his sleeping companion, before scrutinising Rory's suddenly rather blank expression. He cleared his throat.

"Right. Sorry, Rory. I um, always have trouble breaking in the new ones..." The Doctor mumbled uncomfortably. "I forgot you still aren't quite used to this yet."

"Ah.. No, I think I got it. A really advanced technology they're using to keep the population in stasis of some kind... not frozen literally, I suppose, judging by your description." The Doctor raised his eyebrows in surprised approval, encouraging him to continue.

"You used their energy use to trackdown the source, and I'm guessing the advanced type they're using means something significant... I'm not sure why." Rory couldn't help but smile just slightly as he finished his interpretation, seeing the Doctor's pleased expression. "How close am I?"

"Brilliant!" The Doctor informed him proudly. "That's twice now you've surprised me like that, Rory Williams, and you know, I think I might just get used to it. Although, I still may miss that bigger on the inside moment, a bit."

Rory raised his eyebrows at the last admission. The Doctor straightened, a tad defensively.

"I enjoy the wonder." He explained. Rory sighed and indicated the screen the Doctor had been working on. "Ah yes, the Collectors. Well, if I'm right about their stasis system-which I probably am- then it begs the question: Why do a team of professional mercenaries have a stasis system at least twice as advanced as anything else on-board their ship_ including their weapons_, and the ship itself, which is unnecessarily large for people in their line of work?"

"Unless they were planning on storing the population of an entire city away in their cago bay." Rory added, catching on, as Amy came down the stairs to join them and sat down on the bottom step.

"Exactly! It doesn't fit their usual job description. This whole thing seems very well planned, except for the obvious snag of course." The Doctor agreed. Rory looked back at him, slightly confused.

"The obvious snag?" Rory echoed.

"Well, the Redheaded Man, of course. He called us here too early. They clearly weren't quite prepared for us yet." The Doctor replied easily.

"You think that's why he called us here?" Amy asked doubtfully.

"Perhaps. I still need more information, but in the meantime we need to free up the population and solve this Collector problem." The Doctor replied.

"And how will we do that?" Amy asked.

"I may have an idea." The Doctor replied with a mischeivous smile.

* * *

><p>Just when they'd all almost completely agreed on a plan of action (Amy was still quite adamant that she be the one to acompany the Doctor, while Rory and the Doctor agreed that she should stay in the TARDIS) they heard a soft shuffling sound coming from upstairs. The Doctor practically leapt out of his seat to climb the stairs and check on his now apparently conscious counterpart. Amy and Rory looked at each other, then at the Doctor's retreating form before rising to follow him.<p>

"Careful." The Doctor admonished slipping his arms under those of his struggling friend, who had pushed himself out of bed and promptly lost his balance. Carefully he guided him back to the bed.

"I slipped. Give me a minute." Was the flat and entirely unconcerned reply.

"You can have all the time you need, Jyun. -in bed." The Doctor replied as he deposited the smaller man on the mattress. Jyun leaned forward, running his hands through his messy, white hair. The Doctor grabbed the back of his worn, grey shirt as covertly as possible to assure himself Jyun wouldn't face-plant. There was a repeated, metallic sound as two sets of feet climbed unsubtly up the metal staircase. Jyun let out a surprisingly monotonous moan in protest, cradling his head as Amy and Rory entered, The Doctor released his grip on Jyun's shirt and began rubbing soothing circles on his back.

"What's wrong?" Rory asked.

"Headache." Jyun reported, then lifted his head out of the protective sheild of his arms to squint up at them. "Why do I have a headache?"

"Well, we're not really sure." Amy answered haltingly. Jyun continued to squint up at her unblinkingly, as if he believed he could stare a better answer out of her. When it became apparent to him that he couldn't, he switched his attention over to Rory.

"Well, there was this weird sort of spreading light when Amy touched your forehead-" Rory told him.

"Sorry." Amy interjected abruptly, as the golden eyes flicked over to her.

"Then she touched you again and it went away. The Doctor thought it would help because the scans didn't make sense or something." Rory continued when the eyes flicked back to him.

"In very simplistic terms, yes." The Doctor agreed. Jyun watched Rory and Amy blankly for a moment before finally coming to a conclusion.

"I see. No one makes sense anymore." He then closed his eyes and lay back on top of his covers, looking slightly more tense than usual.

* * *

><p>The massive, mostly abandoned chasm of the ship's primary cargo bay suddenly echoed with a shrill, rhythmic sort of wheezing sound, as a foreign glow appeared to the right of one of the less dramatically radiant, stasis blocks. A tall, slender blue box gradually materialized in place of the strange glow, dying away as the box solidified.<p>

The Doctor streaked out of the TARDIS and attached something to the large dark shape at the end of this particular row of stasis blocks, sonic-ed it, and then melted into the darkness.

A few minutes later Rory's phone rang. He answered it on the first ring, already rising from his seat on the stairs leading to the TARDIS doors.

"Ready." The Doctor's voice announced over the line, then he hung up and turned to nod at Amy before exiting the TARDIS. Amy sighed and turned to face the controls.

"Here we go."

* * *

><p>Darius sat in one corner of his brother's quarters with Norin standing stiffly to his right. Lessli was standing in the center of the room having a mild tantrum. This disturbed Norin greatly but Darius just tried to hide how amusing he found it. Norin, after all, was the one with nasty black bruises down the right side of his face, and Darius was the one enjoying the fact that he had seen this coming from the moment they got this job, and had warned the others far in advance. They always ignored the half-breed, and he was now experiencing a flare-up in his chronic case of the I-told-you-so's. The console behind Lessli beeped. He roared and smashed it. The console to Darius's left beeped. He smiled.<p>

"My, my. Such passion! It must be important, though." He said, ignoring his brother's furious glare. "Shall I?"

His brother took a deep breath and tried unsuccessfully to bury his rage. He nodded at Darius.

"It appears we've been boarded." Darius reported. "The Doctor and one of his little friends. The Master appears to have remained inside the TARDIS."

"What's he up to?" Lessli demanded, coming to look over the security alert.

"I imagine he's here to stop us." Darius replied with detatchment. "He'll want us to release the populace and leave. In this case it would be wisest to let him stop us, not that anyone's listening to me."

"It's good you know your place." Lessli snapped, then turned to Norin. "Lock down the cargo bay, then tell the others I want the Doctor captured and brought to me immediately."

"Dead or alive?" Norin asked, Darius snorted.

"Whichever you prefer." Norin nodded and left. Darius was grinning widely now. "Shut it, Darius."

"Yes sir." Darius said happily.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Yeah, so thanks guys for reading this. Finally some Koschei action... or well Koschei. Sorry about the abrupt ending but it needed to end somewhere. I thought it might be good to leave it lighter this time. Special thanks go out to GuesssWho and Mabudachi-trio for reviewing. As always please review.


	32. I Told You So

Amy was sitting at the controls watching the cargo bay outside the TARDIS on one of the view screens when she heard a muffled thud from upstairs. She sat up straighter, looking curiously up the staircase that led to Koschei's room. There was no other sound. She relaxed and went back to watching the screen, then jumped at a loud crashing sound coming from upstairs. The screen flickered irritably. Amy finally got up and made her way up to Koschei's room to find the source of the sound. When she got to the doorway and saw the chaos, she looked disapprovingly down at Jyun with her hands on her hips. He was still lying horizontally across the middle of the bed, atop bunched and wrinkled covers. He had cleared his used dishes onto the bed, then pushed the heavy stone tray down onto the floor. Clearly that had been the source of the thud. The really obnoxious bit, though, was the source of the crash. Apparently unsatisfied by the results of his first mischief, he had then hurled the largest of his plates (still trailing some juices left from the meat he'd been given) across his room, where it had hit the shelf facing his bed and knocked books and trinkets and pieces of shattered plate all over the floor. He did not seem the least bit bothered about it. Still outwardly stoic and reasonable.  
>"What are you, two?" Amy admonished, stepping into the room and kicking a chunk of broken crystal ball out of her path.<br>"Nine hundred twelve." He stated, helpfully.  
>"Then you should definitely know better." Amy replied sitting down on the edge of the bed to look him over. "Why'd you do that, anyway? Seems more like something Koschei might do, or the Master, but you're usually more sensible."<br>Amy reached forward and felt his forehead. It felt too warm, but she didn't really know much about Gallifreyan biology, so she wasn't sure what that indicated.  
>"I don't know."<br>"Jyun."  
>"I feel different. And I'm bored. You were ignoring me."<br>"I think you might have a fever." Amy said, then clarified when Jyun began to correct her. "I know. you're meant to be warmer than humans, Jyun. This feels warm even for you. We can ask Rory to have a look at you when he comes back."  
>Jyun studied her carefully but didn't speak. She looked like she was building up to something. She had scooped up his cap from the bedside table upon sitting, and was now nervously toying with it.<br>"I know this is strange, and it's probably my fault, but whatever it is... I didn't mean it. It just happened. I wouldn't purposely hurt you. You're-"  
>"I don't care." Jyun interrupted. Amy flinched slightly and looked away, trying not to look too hurt by it. Jyun softened minutely. "Amy."<br>She looked back at him questioningly.  
>"You're human. That's how you operate. That's all I expect. No need to claim the inhuman."<br>"So what? Don't worry about it 'cause I'm just a lowly human?" Amy asked, sounding more indignant than insulted. "I'm just too normal to possibly cause you harm?"  
>"Not normal, human. You would harm me in a human way, for human reasons. Many consider your kind to be quite dangerous." Jyun corrected, not seeming to see the problem. "This was a different type of threat. Not human. Not you."<br>Amy took a deep breath, mellowing but not really calming down. Jyun just watched her impassively.  
>"I wouldn't."<br>"What's the Doctor up to?" Jyun asked, promptly changing the subject. Amy wanted to push her point until he believed her, but this really wasn't the time, and they both knew it.  
>"The Doctor's got a plan to free the population. He and Rory are putting it into action right now."<br>"Continue."  
>"The Doctor wants me to stay behind in the TARDIS with you. He wants us to stay out of danger."<br>"Don't care. What's the plan."  
>Amy smiled and scooted over to sit right next to him.<br>"Well, a few minutes ago the Doctor landed us inside the primary cargo bay. After that he ran out and rigged an.. What did he call it? Oh, yeah, an MGD to the... generator for the stasis thing?"  
>"Stationary Generation Matrix."<br>"Yeah that. Then Rory was called out to fetch the detonator link and come back to the TARDIS once he and the Doctor are finished with..."

* * *

><p>The Doctor strolled quietly but nonchalantly through the corridors of the Collectors' ship, hands in his pockets. If he wasn't at least vaguely aware of the concept of stealth, he'd probably be whistling. He wasn't of course, but it was a close thing. He heard the sound of heavy boots marching towards him down the hall. He didn't even react, just kept on strolling amiably down the halls. Patiently taking his time until the two Collectors reached him.<br>"Doctor." The unfamiliar one with the badly bruised face greeted curtly. Elim who was standing beside him, just scowled.  
>"Hello." The Doctor replied pleasantly. "I suppose I'm your prisoner now, aren't I?"<br>" 'es." Elim replied gruffly.  
>"Wonderful!" The Doctor said with a smile. The bruised one charged his weapon. "Now, now. There's no need for that. We're all freinds here."<br>That statement was met with matching disbelieving frowns.  
>"Well, we could be. Let's just try it, shall we? I'm the Doctor, I've already met Elim here. What's your name?" The Doctor insisted, offering the bruised Collector his hand.<br>They stared at him for a moment.  
>" Is nuh's." Elim concluded. The other seemed to gather his wits and then grabbed the Doctor by the arm shoving him forward.<br>"Alright, let's go."  
>"That's not very-" The Doctor began.<br>"Shut up!" The bruised Collector barked irritably, pushing the Doctor's shoulder.

* * *

><p>Back in the TARDIS, Rory was jogging up the stairs to join Amy and Jyun. Amy jumped up as soon as he entered, plopping Jyun's hat back onto his pale head as she did.<br>"Hey." She greeted, giving Rory a quick kiss.  
>"Hey." Rory echoed with a small affectionate smile.<br>"How's the plan moving?" Jyun cut in emotionlessly, though his timing seemed to betray his impatience.  
>"You told him?" Rory asked, studying Jyun's not-expression. Amy shrugged. Jyun adjusted his cap. "I checked the feed before I came up here. We're fine so far. The Collectors just grabbed the Doctor. The timer is set. They seem to think he's mad but- Well..."<br>"He is." Jyun assured him.  
>"Says you." Amy noted, teasing.<br>"Point." Jyun admitted.

* * *

><p>When they reached Lessli's quarters, Darius was waiting just outside for them. He was leaning, relaxed and comfortable, against the wall to the left of Lessli's door, giving off a subtle aura of arrogance. He was still calmly inspecting his nails when they reached him. Norin narrowed his eyes.<br>"Darius." He prompted. Darius perked up immediately, shifting his attention to them with a playful smile.  
>"That's me." He straightened and turned to the Doctor.<br>"'s a human name." The Doctor noted, mildly surprised, as Darius held out a hand.  
>"Yes, I'm the detestable half-breed, you see." He explained, as they shook hands. "It's nice to finally meet you, Doctor. I did try to talk Dear Brother out of it, mind you, but well - half-breed."<br>The Doctor frowned slightly. He didn't particularly like the sound of that. Elim grunted a series of vaguely threatening consonants, and Darius nodded, stepping quickly aside. The Doctor did notice him rolling his eyes as he did, though, even if the other Collectors hadn't. Darius opened the door for them with a flourish, then gestured to the doorway with a little mock bow.  
>"After you, Gentlemen."<br>"Don't push it." Lessli warned from inside. Darius's smirk didn't falter in the slightest, but he did keep his mouth shut as he followed them in. "Elim, you stand outside. Guard the door."  
>Darius's smirk widened and he opened his mouth, apparently to address Elim about this.<br>"Darius!" Lessli snapped, and Darius slammed his mouth shut with an audible click, shooting his half-brother an unbelievably innocent expression.  
>"Terrans." Lessli spat, as if it were an insult, leaning toward the Doctor conspiratorially. "Such troublesome creatures, aren't they? I don't know how you handle them."<br>"For one, I don't think of them as something to 'handle,' but that's not really why I'm here." The Doctor responded, coolly. "I've come to discuss the release of the people of New Vegas."  
>"Have you?" Lessli remarked with a laugh. The Doctor nodded. "I will release them when the Target is eliminated."<br>"Well that's not likely to happen anytime soon." The Doctor replied. "I am giving you the chance to be reasonable. Your mission's failed and I'm sorry about that."  
>Darius raised an eyebrow.<br>"Well, no I'm not, but really, you should just let them go, because if you insist on continuing, I am going to stop you. You know I will." The Doctor brought his hands together with a soft clap and resumed. "So why not just call it a day? Better luck next time? No, you kill for a living. You know, you might want to just stop that. Really. I mean, there are better jobs out there. You could have a shop or something. I like a good shop."  
>Lessli was now glaring rather nastily down at the Doctor. Darius drew in a breath, seeing this, and cut in with a resigned tone.<br>"No. I know what you're thinking. You shouldn't."  
>"I didn't have my men bring you here for this." Lessli snarled threateningly.<br>"And, there he goes." Darius muttered quietly.  
>"He will die." Elim continued leaning farther into the Doctor's space. "I will kill him and only then will the people be released."<br>"I was afraid you might say that." The Doctor replied, clearly unimpressed by Lessli's attempt at intimidation. "Which is why I have this."  
>The Doctor reached into his pocket and pulled out his mobile phone, hitting speed dial.<br>"Hello Rory!" He said then nodded. "Yes, I know, but it was worth a try. How long? Marvelous." He pulled the phone away from his ear. "You've got about two minutes to reconsider." He said as he switched to speakerphone.  
>"One minute and 57 seconds now actually." Rory corrected.<br>"Yes, thank you, Rory." The Doctor added. "I've got a plan in progress already to make sure it happens, with or without your compliance. It's a good plan. Jyun'll love it, very efficient."  
>"Focus." Jyun's voice reminded from the other end of the line.<br>"Oh." The Doctor cleared his throat, continuing. "You lot, however. You definitely won't. In fact you are about to become utterly helpless."  
>"You're bluffing." Lessli accused.<br>"He's not." Darius contradicted, long-sufferingly.  
>"Shut up, Darius."<br>"That one's clever." Jyun added helpfully.  
>"He's got a point." The Doctor agreed. "Oh, and 97 seconds now."<br>"I could shoot you right now." Lessli spat.  
>"What would be the point?" Darius asked.<br>"I'm wondering that as well." The Doctor admitted.  
>"Shut up!" Lessli shouted angrilly.<br>"90 now, in case anyone's wondering." Rory this time.  
>"Yes, thank you." Darius responded politely.<br>"I like that one." Jyun stated with characteristic detatchment.  
>"Unbelievable. I will not surrender!" Lessli announced, his face now violet with rage. "I have made my decision and it is final."<br>"You've made that extremely clear." Darius assured him dryly."About 80, I would think."  
>"Yeah, I like him, too." Amy agreed.<br>"I can't say I'm thrilled to be related to you at the moment-" Darius confessed.  
>"The feeling is mutual."<br>"-or even to be present in the same room, but that's just the luck of the draw, now, isn't it?"  
>There was a moment of tense silence after the last exchange. Broken by...<br>"Actually, I agree with Darius."  
>All eyes in the room landed on Norin.<br>"I mean, about the Doctor's ultimatum and all that. I'm fine with being in the same room as you."  
>"This is why I'm in charge." Lessli commented.<br>"No, it isn't." Darius corrected.  
>"52." Jyun added helpfully.<br>"Your move, Doctor." Lessli said, slowly raising his pistol to point at the Doctor's head.  
>"He's about to shoot him." Norin reported considerately, for those who couldn't see. Darius rubbed a hand over his shaved head, shrugging at the Doctor as if to say 'at least I tried.'<br>"Rory, if you don't mind?"  
>There was a rustling of fabric on the other end.<br>"Got it."  
>Then there was a loud whoosh accompanied by a flash and a crackling sound. The ship shuddered around them and then everything powered down. Including, undoubtedly, the stasis systems.<br>Lessli growled. The Doctor smiled apologetically up at him and sonic-ed his gun. It sparked in the Collector's grip, forcing him to drop it.  
>"Sorry about that." He said, taking a step back as Norin moved to grab him. "Your life support systems are fine, propulsion systems will recover shortly. I wouldn't count on anything else."<br>"You bastard." Darius swore, with an approving smile.  
>"No one harms my friends." The Doctor called back over the sound of the TARDIS as it materialised around him. It dematerialised once again, leaving empty space in his place just as Elim finally forced his way into the room.<p>

* * *

><p>The Doctor opened the doors of the TARDIS, looked out at the once again diversely populated streets of New Vegas with a smile, then shut the doors, and spun on the spot to face Jyun, who'd just come up behind him. Jyun pulled back quickly in a movement that would look like a flinch on anyone else, but on him was gracefully avoiding the door hitting his face.<br>"We need to discuss it, now." The Doctor told him quietly.  
>"That's very specific."<br>"You know what I'm talking about. What's wrong with Koschei?"  
>"I do, and no."<br>"Wait. Koschei?" Amy asked straightening in her seat by the drive pillar, catching Rory's attention."What do you mean? What's wrong with Koschei?"  
>Jyun and the Doctor turned their heads in unison to look over at her before turning back to each other to continue arguing at a more audible level. <em>~Very good hearing that one. I must remember that.~<em>  
>"You and the Master have been taking turns manifesting, trying to hide him from me." The Doctor persisted. "Honestly, I'm not sure which part of that is most unsettling."<br>"Moot point, now."  
>"You should be explaining."<br>"I don't know. He was dormant. He isn't anymore I don't know why or how or what is wrong, but we agreed to deal with it internally."  
>"Meaning you decided to hide it from me. You agreed. You two never agree." The Doctor clarified irritably. "Hold on. You said is."<br>"Huh?" Rory responded intelligently. Jyun raised an eyebrow.  
>"You said you don't know what is wrong, present tense, but you also said he's not dormant anymore."<br>"He isn't."  
>"And..." Amy prompted impatiently.<br>"They switched." Jyun finally admitted.  
>"What?" Amy and Rory chorused. The Doctor ran a hand through his hair looking thoughtful and a tad confused. Jyun looked around at all of them before continuing.<br>"He's not recovered, either."  
>"How so?" Rory queried.<br>"He seemed... intoxicated." Jyun explained. Amy let out a hysterical giggle.  
>"So that's just great. One of you was dormant, then he switched with the Master, and now he's apparently high. Forget unconscious and glowing. This bit, this is interesting."<br>"You're under a lot of stress. Perhaps you should have a nap." Jyun advised. Rory snorted. Jyun looked at him.  
>"Sorry."<br>"Maybe we should go upstairs." The Doctor suggested. Jyun quickly led the way. Half way up however, he abruptly went limp as a rag doll.  
>"Jyun!" "OhmyGod!" Cried The Doctor and Amy in the same moment, respectively, as he began to tumble limply down the stairs. The Doctor shot forward and grabbed him, wrapping his arms tightly around the other man's middle, supporting him. There was a brief, shocked silence as they all recovered. Rory solemnly climbed the few stairs between him and the two Timelords. Amy went to the bottom of the stairs and scooped up his fallen cap, once again toying with it anxiously, as she watched them.<br>"That's never happened before." The Doctor said, sounding a little rougher than usual as Rory crouched down in front of them. Just as he brought his hand up to his ivory jaw, their friend's head snapped up.  
>"Hello!"<br>"Ah!" Rory shouted falling back against the railing.  
>"Ooops."<br>"Koschei!" Amy exclaimed taking a step closer and leaning on the railing to get a better view. "Are you alright?"  
>"I think s-"<br>"Good. Now, what the hell was that! You scared the life out of us!" Amy cut him off, waving angrily at him with his Breton cap. Koschei burrowed even further into the Doctor's arms, looking affronted. He looked up at the Doctor with slightly feverish eyes.  
>"If I say I'm not fine, do you think she'll stop?"<br>"No."  
>"Oh. Um... nice hat."<br>"It's yours." Amy informed him tightly.  
>"Shit."<br>"You could have died!"  
>"You make that sound so-"<br>"Hmm-nm." Rory cautioned. Too late.  
>"You don't even care!" Amy accused.<br>"Doctor, help?" Koschei whispered.  
>"Don't you dare." Amy warned before he could get a word in.<br>"Wow, she's got really good hearing." Koschei remarked. Her glare intensified.  
>"You should apologize." Rory advised.<br>"Who the fuck are you, anyway?" Koschei replied indignantly. Amy's expression was beginning to freak him out. He glanced back up at the Doctor.  
>"Sorry, Kos. I kind of agree with Amy on this one."<br>"Et tu, Brute?"  
>"You could have died again." Koschei took a deep breath, sobering rapidly.<br>"I'm sorry." He muttered. Amy straightened and crossed her arms. "Fine. I'm sorry." He repeated loudly and grumpily. She seemed satisfied by this. Rory and the Doctor helped him up and the Doctor guided him up the stairs. Rory pushed past to get the door.  
>"Here we are." Rory said pleasantly as they passed. Amy tossed Koschei's hat to him; he caught it and placed it on the bedside table.<br>"Seriously. Who is he?" Koschei asked again, lying down and ignoring the Doctor's attempts to scan him as he got comfortable. He was actually moving more than necessary just to be difficult.  
>"I'm Amy's fiance."<br>"Fiance? Really? That's funny..." Koschei began, gasping when the Doctor suddenly leaned forward and pinned him to the bed by his shoulders.  
>"Stop that." He ordered. Koschei studied his face. Now that it was up so close to him it was much more of a distraction. It looked both irritated and earnest. <em>~Damnit. Where was I going with this? I was angry at him. Yes! Stop staring! You're cross with him! I feel really warm. He's making it worse. That's not why I'm angry!~<em>  
>"Kos?" The Doctor questioned, sounding distracted.<br>"I think have a fever." Koschei replied, also sounding distracted.  
>"Okay! I'm going to just, leave now." Rory said awkwardly, and quickly slipped out of the room. It took a minute to register. The Doctor straightened and turned to call belatedly after him.<br>"What? Why?" But Rory was already out of earshot. Koschei rolled his eyes and smirked smugly.  
>"Why do you look so pleased?" The Doctor asked, beginning to scan him with his sonic. Koschei batted his eyelashes and tried to look innocent.<br>"Who, me? I've got a fever."

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Yay! Koschei's back! ...and he's slightly out of it. That's okay though I find him entertaining to write that way. So this turned out to be a really dialogue heavy chapter but I hope you liked it. Amy kinda freaked out a bit at the end there but as Jyun said she's been under a lot of stress, and K/J/M were being very distrustful. Thank you guys for reading this. Special thanks to GuesssWho for her comment, which actually ended up having a fairly significant impact on this chapter's outcome for at least one character so kudos to you my dear! If any of you have questions or comments relating to this story please feel free to share it with me. As always I crave feedback so please review. I can't promise the impact will be world changing but it will have one and there will be rejoicing. ;-)


	33. Trespassers Will

Koschei lay in his bed with a coldpack draped over his forehead and eyes. According to the scans he did indeed have a fever. He just didn't have anything else going on in his body to explain it. The TARDIS seemed to agree. He just had a random fever. Somehow he hadn't found that idea at all comforting. The Doctor wasn't too thrilled about that verdict either, but he had at least been able to mask it well, probably because _he_ didn't have a fever. The others had left him to his own devices, presumably working on some issue the Doctor felt was still unresolved. They hadn't really talked to him much about it, or at least if someone had explained it, he didn't remember._ ~Stupid fever. If I had anything that was transmittable to humans they probably would have caught it by now. I'm bored! Someone should be up here with me.~_ He looked around him noticing, to his annoyed surprise, that someone had gone and moved everything breakable or of handy hurling size out of his reach. Stubborn as always, he decided this justified ignoring the Doctor's informed advice that he should stay in bed until his fever broke. He actually made it to the door before he became very dizzy and had to grab the door frame in order to keep from falling. A grin spread across his face as he noticed a glass jar that was now just within reach. He grabbed it and threw it out into the hallway, smashing it against the opposite wall, and then collapsed. Two pairs of feet marched up the staircase towards him.

"Such a child." The Doctor commented, hoisting him up off the ground and returning the misbehaving patient to the bed.

"It worked." Koschei replied happily, his smile faltering when the Doctor just sighed and turned to leave. "Don't ignore me! I've got nothing to do up here."

"I'm busy, Kos. I'll come back up later to check on you."

"What are you all even doing down there?" Koschei demanded, looking from the Doctor to Rory and back. "You've already stopped those bloody Collectors, and the public are all back where they belong."

"The Redheaded Man." Rory reminded him. Koschei stared at them, nonplussed.

"I've already told you. We're trying to find out more about the man that lured us here." The Doctor replied calmly. "I'm tracking down the signal's origin right now... I should get back downstairs."

"You, stay." Koschei ordered, pointing to Rory.

"Koschei." The Doctor prompted.

"Stay, please."

Rory gave him a funny look.

"I don't know you... yet. We can work on that now and then I won't be bored."

"Alright. That sounds inspiring." Rory agreed, his tone lacking enthusiasm. The Doctor left them to it.

* * *

><p>"What was that about?" Amy asked as the Doctor walked past her to look at the TARDIS' screen and turn a dial.<p>

"Koschei got bored and hurled an empty jar at the wall." The Doctor replied, flicking a switch. "Ah, much better."

"I was sure I'd moved everything this time!" Amy said frustratedly.

"Oh, you did. He's really very stubborn." The Doctor observed as the symbols scrolled by on the screen in front of him.

"He's being a brat. He's too old for this, isn't he? I mean according to Jyun he's like nine hundred and twelve years old, and he's still throwing tantrums to get attention." Amy vented. "I mean, he was being so sweet before, even if he was a little condescending, and he wouldn't tell me what_ Bhai _means."

The Doctor dropped his screwdriver at the word _bhai_. Amy straightened, seeing the look on his face.

"What? What is it?"

The Doctor cleared his throat, scooping his screwdriver up off the floor and turning back to the screen. His eyes looked a little watery, but that could just be a trick of the light. He swallowed.

"What's wrong?" Amy asked. She was sure now that he was avoiding looking her way. "What does it mean?"

"Nothing. It's just... I wasn't expecting that." The Doctor said, pausing for a moment to stare meditatively down at the console before he continued. "It's not directly translatable. It's ah... it's a bit like 'darling,' I suppose. Something you might call female family members."

Amy raised her eyebrows, equally surprised by that. The console beeped, interrupting the awkward silence.

"Ah, here we are! The signal originated on a rooftop down on King's Street. It's not too far from here." The Doctor exclaimed, more than happy to change the subject. Amy wasn't swayed by it.

"Okay. Looks like we can go check it out then." She replied kindly, but stood when the Doctor made to walk past her. "You seemed upset."

The Doctor just looked at her.

"When I told you he called me _Bhai_, you looked... sad."

The Doctor smiled softly at her.

"It was a long time ago..." He said, softly. "I can see it now, though. It suits you."

Amy looked quizzically at him as he moved past her.

"Nothing for you to worry about." He called over his shoulder, heading upstairs instead of down towards the doors. Amy sighed, and went to peer out into the street. It was late in the afternoon now, feeling a little on the chilly side, and she noticed it was getting pretty windy. She shut the TARDIS doors and headed up to her own room to get her jacket. As she passed Koschei's door, she didn't mean to eavesdrop, but it was the first in the corridor, and only one door came between it and her own room, so she could not help but hear him arguing with the Doctor.

"...but I'm getting better! My fever's gone down, hasn't it Rory?" Koschei insisted.

"I...well, yes it has, but I'd rather not-"

"See? I'll be just fine. Besides it's clearly not contagious." Koschei interrupted as soon as he'd gotten what he wanted.

"That isn't the point, Kos." The Doctor replied evenly. "You might be getting better now, but if you strain yourself, you might get worse again."

"You're being over-protective."

"I am not." The Doctor protested. "Am I, Rory?"

"Why do you two keep asking me things? I don't want to be involved!" Rory cried, sounding frustrated.

"It's settled then. I'm going." Koschei proclaimed. There was a pause.

"You're staying by the TARDIS. At the first sign that your fever's returning Rory can take you back inside." The Doctor told him. Koschei scoffed.

"I am not a prop." Rory pointed out. A beat. "Just so you know."

"Yes, Eeyore." Koschei replied teasingly.

* * *

><p>He did end up coming outside with them after all, once they had tracked the signal to the roof of a building and the Doctor had landed the TARDIS on it. Rory however had remained inside. ('To mope' Koschei had insisted.) Amy looked over at him just in time to be made anxious by the sight of him leaning recklessly over the edge from where he was sitting with his back to the TARDIS doors.<p>

"That's interesting." The Doctor remarked from her other side, and she pulled her attention away from Koschei's nerve-wracking antics to see what the Doctor had discovered. He was scanning the area with his sonic screwdriver.

"Found something?" She inquired, trying not to think about the fact that she could see Koschei now reaching both arms over the side in her peripheral vision. It was actually kind of amazing he hadn't slipped at all yet.

"Yes." The Doctor responded, turning to face her, and spotting the other Timelord. "Careful!"

Koschei straightened up and sarcastically mimed shock. Amy crossed her arms and turned back to look at the Doctor, clearing her throat expectantly.

"Jyun was right." The Doctor told them, tossing his sonic into the air and catching it."There are signs of a tesseract occurring here around the same time our mystery man disappeared."

Koschei straightened at this, suddenly very alert and serious.

"A tesseract." Amy echoed. "I don't know what that is."

"It's a specific type of temporal distortion. They are very rare." The Doctor explained. "They shorten the distance any objects caught in the center would have to travel, like a wrinkle in time and space."

"So you think he made a tesseract. That's how he appeared and then disappeared the way he did."

"No." Koschei piped up. " He couldn't have generated one himself. He wouldn't have nearly enough energy to warp time and space like that. They're nearly impossible to generate even with the level of technology our people had at our disposal, and even then the generators weren't exactly portable."

He stood up and walked over to them with his hands tucked into his jacket pockets.

"It's probably a natural phenomenon of some kind." The Doctor agreed. "But it just all seems so..."

"Oddly convenient." Koschei finished for him, then gestured to the open panel with his elbow. "'That where the signal came from?"

The Doctor nodded and went over to inspect their summoner's handiwork.

"He certainly knew what he was doing." The Doctor straightened, looking taken aback "This actually looks pretty professional. Hold on, what's this?"

He pulled something metallic out of the place it had been jammed into.

"Theta?" Koschei questioned stepping closer.

"He's shoved something in here, to lock the circuits." The Doctor grunted, yanking it free. He held it up to look more closely at it. It was damaged and fried and streaked with soot, but it was still unmistakable. The Doctor held his sonic screwdriver up next to it. They were a definite match.

"Well, that really only raises more questions." Koschei noted irritably.

"Maybe there is another one of you out there." Amy suggested.

"Another regeneration, maybe, but there aren't any more Timelords out there." Koschei disagreed.

"How can you be so sure?" Amy replied, as he headed back toward the TARDIS doors.

"I just am! It's only us. That's it." He pulled open the door and turned to the Doctor. "Feel free to let me know if you find anything helpful."

* * *

><p>An hour later, Koschei heard the familliar sounds of the TARDIS taking off. Amy walked quietly past his room. A few minutes later, the Doctor came in and plopped down on the bed next to him. Koschei marked his place in his book and put it down on the empty space on his other side.<p>

"Winnie the Pooh." The Doctor noted, earning himself a defiant look from the other Timelord.

"It's a classic." Koschei defended. "I got it from _your_ library, anyway."

"I know. It's fine. Nothing wrong with that..."

"..."

"So you're feeling better I take it?"

"Completely."

"Good... What happened to you? From your perspective, I mean. Jyun made you sound.. absent."

"It was like the strangest dream I've ever had, as if I was actually just me for a change. I think I might have remembered for a while." Koschei shrugged, looking away. "It's gone now."

"I'm sorry."

"I haven't given up, yet." Koschei assured him, eyeing his wall-collage. "Well, enough of that. Things are getting a bit to dreary in here, aren't they? Let's change the topic. Amy's fiance seems... nice."

"He is, yeah. He's a nurse, you know."

"Amy told me."

"Of course. He's alot cleverer than he looks as well."

"That's a relief."

"Oh, be nice." The Doctor remarked with a fond smile. "He'll grow on you."

"I'm sure."

"Although, I think the Master finds him annoying, so I could be wrong."

"I like him better already."

They lapsed into a companionable silence until the Doctor broke it again.

"Amy tells me you've been calling her_ Bhai_. She wanted to know what it meant."

Koschei fidgeted, suddenly finding the shelf across from them extremely interesting.

"She reminds me of her a little, too. I guess I'd forgotten that you haven't had as much time to come to terms-"

"Do we have to talk about this?" Koschei asked, blinking rapidly. The Doctor studied him for a moment before reaching out and taking his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"No. Not if you don't want to."

"Good." There was another silence, this time more somber. Koschei took a deep breath. "Theta?"

The Doctor looked down at his friend's head where it rested on his shoulder.

"Let's go someplace quiet this time."

"Sure thing, Kos. That sounds nice." They stayed like that for a long time, sitting quietly side by side, until Koschei drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Okay, yeah, this chapter's short. I'm sorry. I will try to make the next one long and plentiful in order to make up for it. The next one is going to be another more cannon based episode, drawing on the episode 'Amy's Choice' but it's going to be more AU than its 'Time of Angels' based predecessor. Thank you all for reading this, and special thanks to Mabudachi-trio for reviewing. As always I would love to hear your thoughts on this.


	34. What is Real?

**The Dreamlord**  
>"All that we see or seem<br>Is but a dream within a dream."  
>-Edgar Allan Poe, A Dream Within a Dream<p>

* * *

><p><span>Chapter One: What is Real?<span>

Amy lounged comfortably on the new, leather-smelling sofa, listening to Rory bustling about in their kitchen, preparing lunch. She liked it out here, in the country. She just felt something wasn't quite right. It felt like something was missing. It was something she should be able to identify. There was a sense of lack just on the edges of her mind, just out of reach. She heard a whisper of leaves blowing by the window. She turned and watched them dance around the lawn for a moment before getting up and going to join Rory in the kitchen.  
>"Oh you're up." Rory observed as she entered, giving him a quick kiss.<br>"I was just resting." She replied, stealing a piece of carrot off the cuttingboard and popping it into her mouth. Rory scooped up the rest and dropped it into the pot to cook.  
>"It'll still be a little while before the food's ready." He informed her. "Oh, and Mrs. Norris wanted me to ask you if you'd like to go with her and her niece to pick strawberries this Saturday. She's grown quite fond of you."<br>"That might be fun. Nancy is a sweet little girl. Maybe-" Amy quieted as a repetitive wheezing sound came from outside.  
>"What is that?" Rory asked distractedly. Amy grabbed his arm, a smile spreading on her face.<br>"It's him!" She exclaimed enthusiastically. "It's the Doctor! They're back!"  
>She then turned and headed straight outside, grabbing her coat as she went. Rory turned down the burner and quickly went to grab his own jacket and follow her.<br>"Hello Ponds!" The Doctor called happily as he stepped out of the TARDIS and pulled Amy into a hug. Rory paused just outside the doorway watching them. "I'm sorry. I've crushed your flowers."  
>"Hello, Doctor!" Amy replied fondly, returning the hug, before frowning in annoyance at the ruined flowerbed. The Doctor held out a hand and beckoned for Rory to come closer.<br>"Come on Rory! You too." Rory came forward and accepted his own hug, distractedly.  
>"Where's Koschei?" He asked after they'd pulled apart.<br>"Oh, yes Koschei. He's staying in the TARDIS for now." The Doctor explained. "He's feeling a bit poorly."

* * *

><p>They decided to take a walk around the neighborhood, since the Doctor hadn't seen this part of Leadworth before.<br>"Ah, Leadworth, vibrant as always." The Doctor remarked.  
>"Well Upper Leadworth." Rory pointed out. "We've moved a bit up market since last time you saw us."<br>"Hmm, yes... but where is everybody?" The Doctor replied, looking around them.  
>"Oh, this is busy." Amy informed him earning an incredulous look from their alien friend. "Okay. So it's quiet, but it's also sort of restful. It's nice."<br>"But what do you actually do around here?" The Doctor persevered.  
>"Well, I don't know... just rest. Enjoy the fresh air..." Amy tried.<br>"Listen to the birdsong." Rory added as they reached a bench and Amy promptly plopped down on it.  
>"It's very healthy, too, everybody around here lives well into their nineties." Amy assured him as they joined her.<br>"Well, don't let that bother you." He replied.  
>"It isn't." She snapped defensively. It actually hadn't been bugging her until just now.<br>"What are you doing here, anyway?" Rory asked not unkindly.  
>"Oh, you know, just stopping by to see how you two were doing. Just checking. You know me. It's not like I'm some reclusive Timelord that was never going to come visit my human friends ever again."<br>"Hmm." Amy nodded smiling sagely. "You came here by accident, didn't you?"  
>"Yeah." The Doctor admitted awkwardly. "A bit... but you know, what a nice surprise, eh? I mean look at this... bench. What a nice... bench."<br>There was an uncomfortable silence filled only by the cheery birdsong.  
>"So..." The Doctor finally began. "What do you do around here to stave off the er..."<br>"Boredom?" Amy said helpfully.  
>"Yes... That." The Doctor replied. Rory looked at him accusingly.<br>"We relax." Rory answered. "We live. We listen to the birds."  
>"Yeah." Amy agreed defensively, though she seemed a little doubtful herself. "Birds. Birds are nice."<br>"Oh, my head." The Doctor exclaimed out of the blue, running a hand through his hair. "Oooh, that's a bit..."  
>Amy and Rory looked at him quizzically.<br>"Doctor?" Rory questioned.  
>"I just feel..." His head drooped forward as Amy and Rory's eyelids began to feel heavy as well. In no time at all they had all slumped over, fast asleep on the bench.<p>

* * *

><p>Amy's eyes snapped open and the first thing she saw was Koschei curled up into a ball on the TARDIS floor before her, shivering. She blinked, trying to steady herself as she got up off the floor and moved over to him. He looked even more disoriented than she felt.<br>"Strange!" The Doctor shouted as he woke up. "Oh! There you are. Sorry, I was just having a nightmare. I seem to have just dropped off... doesn't usually happen to me. Well doesn't ever really."  
>The Doctor dashed over to the console, which was flashing urgently in several places, while Rory and Amy exchanged confused looks over Koschei's shivering form.<br>"Ooh flashing lights! I bet that means something." The Doctor remarked as he inspected the console. Koschei was apparently not too distressed to roll his eyes in response.  
>"You know, I had a wierd dream experience myself just now- Not a nightmare, but definitely wierd." Rory said as he checked Koschei's temperature.<br>"Yeah, me too." Amy added, giving him a funny look.  
>"Not a nightmare at all though. We were just, um. We were married..."<br>"Yeah. And we'd moved to this big house in a little village." Amy finished for him looking a little freaked out. The Doctor straightened and popped up from below the console to look at them.  
>"Yes, a nice little village in Upper Leadworth." Rory agreed haltingly<br>"Yes, exactly!" Amy exclaimed as the Doctor came over to them.  
>"And then the Doctor came to visit our cottage." Rory added.<br>"Flowers." Koschei mumbled, aparently wanting to be included. Amy nodded rubbing his shoulder comfortingly as she continued.  
>"But Koschei stayed inside because he wasn't feeling well."<br>"We had the same dream." Rory concluded. "How can we all have the same dream?"  
>"Doctor, you said you had a nightmare. What was it?" Amy asked as the Doctor nudged Rory experimentally.<br>"Well in a sense, it was much the same,"  
>"In what sense?"<br>"In the sense that it was the same." He admitted.  
>"You said it was a nightmare." Rory accused.<br>"Did I? No, not a nightmare. It wasn't a nightmare, certainly. A totally different kind of...mare." The Doctor rambled. "You know it doesn't matter. These things happen. We all shared some type of telepathic episode, probably just jumped a timetrack or something. Just forget it. It's over."  
>"Birds." Koschei muttered unhappily, and Rory and Amy exchanged tense looks as they heard it too.<br>"Doctor!" Amy called as the Doctor flipped a lever on the console. "If it's over, then how come I can hear birdsong?"  
>The Doctor spun to face them, listening carefully, with a puzzled expression. Then they all dropped to the floor, unconscious, and woke on the bench in Leadworth sans Koschei.<br>"What was that?" Amy questioned as she jumped up off the bench.  
>"I'm not sure." The Doctor said, standing and surveying the area around them.<br>"I just dreamed we were back in the TARDIS," Rory reported.  
>"Yes, we all did. Or did we?"<br>"Doctor?" Amy inquired as he darted about them energetically.  
>"Trust nothing." He replied. "Everything you see, hear, or feel. Everything is suspect."<br>"But we're home now. We're awake. This is real. I can tell." Rory said standing and adjusting his jacket.  
>"You were sure the TARDIS was real too." The Doctor pointed out. "The trouble is, how do we tell which is the truth? Are we flashing forwards or backwards?"<br>"Koschei." Rory said suddenly.  
>"Sorry?" The Doctor said, not not really paying attention.<br>"Oh, Koschei." Amy echoed and then dashed off down the road behind him.  
>"I heard." The Doctor responded impatiently, turning around. "What about- Koschei!"<br>"Exactly." Rory remarked. Koschei was wandering toward them slowly, looking drained and winded. He was swerving slightly, almost like a drunk. Amy rushed up to him and grabbed his arms to help steady him.  
>"Oh, you poor thing!" She cooed. "What are you doing out of the TARDIS?"<br>"Mm not." He replied blinking slowly and leaning against her arms, shakily. "Am. Had to. Not right. Mmm nowhere. Both."  
>"Shhh. You're ill. You should be resting." Amy replied, helping him over to the bench. He slumped back against it, breathing heavily for a while before suddenly straightening and staring feverishly over at the Doctor.<br>"Lights!"  
>"What? What lights?"<br>Koschei growled and closed his eyes, struggling with himself before continuing more clearly, with obvious effort.  
>"The TARDIS. What color, were, the lights?"<br>"Ah.. Those lights." The Doctor replied, as Amy slipped onto the bench behind Koschei. "Red, I think."  
>"Fuck." Koschei said breathlesly and flopped back onto Amy's lap flinging an arm over his eyes that Amy dodged just in time. Rory narrowed his eyes jealously but didn't comment.<br>"Red's bad?" Amy asked resting her arms on the back of the bench with admirable patience  
>"I know it's bad." The Doctor cut in defensively.<br>"Collision." Koschei clarified, growling as the Doctor reached out a hand to tug at his friend's jacket where it was bunched.  
>"Wow. How did he even notice that?" Rory commented. "His eyes are covered."<br>"Mine." Koschei stated territorially, showing his teeth, as Amy grabbed it instead. She ignored him and pulled it straight anyway.  
>"Enough of that." She admonished calmly. "You could have stayed in the TARDIS."<br>He growled again, softly, but didn't struggle any further.  
>"So, a collision alarm. We should probably be worried about that, right?" Rory said.<br>"Nothing to do about it until we wake up, or fall asleep again. Whichever you like, really." The Doctor replied lightly. "This is going to be tricky."  
>"So until then?"<br>"Amy, you said that everyone here lives into their nineties." He said looking down the road.  
>"Yeah."<br>"That's something that doesn't make sense. There's a retirement home nearby, yes?" Rory nodded. "Let's go check it out."  
>"What about Koschei? Maybe we should get him back to the TARDIS, where we know he'll be safe." Amy suggested.<br>"Nowhere safe." Koschei grumbled. The Doctor shushed him and pulled him up into a sitting position.  
>"It's alright." He said gently, pulling out his sonic-screwdriver. "Now hold still."<br>He began to scan the other Timelord for any sign of what ailed him.  
>"Oh no." Rory protested behind him, sitting on the ground, Amy was struggling to keep her eyes open.<br>"It's...happening..." She was saying faintly as Koschei tumbled back against her, unconscious.

* * *

><p>"Again." Amy finished, sitting up. Koschei groaned. Rory was already standing at the console.<br>"Here, too." Koschei reported unhappily, not even bothering to move.  
>The Doctor popped up off the floor next to Rory, wincing in sympathy before shooting down the stairs to grab something.<br>"Shouldn't we be doing something about the collision alarm?" Rory called down to him.  
>"Yes." The Doctor called back.<br>"Well?" Amy prompted leaning, over the railing to look at him.  
>"Try the view screen. The big one."<br>Amy went over to it, then turned back to ask.  
>"It's off. How do I switch it on?"<br>Koschei finally pushed himself into a sitting position.  
>"Left. Middle. No, down. Yes." He instructed gruffly.<br>"Oh no! That is bad." Amy said, then they all heard a terrible groan from the ship around them and the unmistakeable hum of the engines shutting down. The screen flickered out and the lights went dark one by one.  
>"No!No!No!" The Doctor exclaimed shooting past them and struggling with the controls.<br>"Tell me that wasn't what I think it was." Rory said tensely.  
>"That was the TARDIS losing power." The Doctor announced. "It's dead. We're in a dead time machine."<br>"I thought I saw something on the screen just before it went out. Something really big." Amy told them. "But I mean it's space, right? Size is relative and all that."  
>"Little blue box." Koschei countered.<br>"Yeah I know. Just trying not to panic." She admitted. Koschei lay back down.  
>When they woke up back in their quiet little village, the Doctor immediately pulled Koschei up off the bench and threw one arm over his shoulders.<br>"Back again. Splendid! Let's go see that retirement home then, shall we?"  
>"Koschei can't go with us; he's too sick." Rory pointed out.<br>"I agree." Koschei mumbled.  
>"I know that, but we should stick together as much as we can." Doctor paused for a moment, thinking. "One of you can wait outside with him while we-"<br>"No." Koschei interrupted. "Mm not a child."  
>"Koschei, maybe I should..." Amy began.<br>"Nine hundred twelve years old. No babysitter."  
>The other three all exchanged doubtful looks before Rory, surprisingly, broke the silence.<br>"We should get moving. There's no telling how much time we have left."  
>"Right, come along."<p>

* * *

><p>When they got to the retirement home, Koschei sat down near the door on the edge of one big planter to wait.<br>"Go."  
>"I still don't like leaving you alone like this." Amy replied.<br>"It doesn't matter." He looked passed her to stare meaningfully, at the Doctor. "The longer you argue the longer I wait." He paused, swallowing. "Go help Theta fix this."  
>The Doctor nodded and ran a hand through his old friend's messy, white hair before heading inside.<br>"Come on." Rory said taking Amy's hand. "He'll be alright."  
>Amy reluctantly followed him inside. The Doctor was almost to the stairs when they spotted him.<br>"Hey, wait up!" Amy called, jogging over to him. Halfway down the hall, Rory fell back.  
>Outside, Koschei sighed longsufferingly as the doors behind him opened, and Rory walked up and sat beside him on the planter.<br>"Arzia." Koschei noted.  
>"I'm guessing you've just called me something nasty, haven't you?" Rory observed. Koschei shrugged.<br>"I'm a doctor. I wasn't going to just leave my patient out in the cold. Not in your condition."  
>"Nurse."<br>"Not anymore, actually."  
>Koschei snorted. Then looked up into one of the big, glass windows.<br>"Is it strange for you, being at a place like this?" Rory asked, following his gaze. "I mean you and the Doctor, you don't seem to have aged in over nine hundred years. All of us must seem like mayflies."  
>"Not here, anyway."<br>"So, you think this is the dream and we're asleep back on the dead TARDIS."  
>"No."<br>Rory narrowed his eyes at him. Then leaned back so he was brushing against the bush.  
>"Alright. You're delirious." He decided. Koschei grinned.<p>

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Okay so first of all, thank you for reading this, and special thanks to Mabudachi-trio, Whofan, and Roaringfall for reviewing. Also it has been pointed out to me that a Timelord's natural core temperature is somewhere around 60 degrees Fahrenheit which is notably _colder_ than that of a human. In chapter 32 I mention Koschei's naturally warmer(at least to the touch) than a human but I thought this might be a side effect of him becoming hyper-conductive. I hope that makes sense. I thought it did, but I'm no physicist. Now that's clear on to the translation.

Arzia(Ar-zee-uh):** A brat**, unfortunate, troublesome.


	35. The Dreamlord

Upstairs in the retirement home, Amy watched the Doctor flit about looking for clues, mostly ignored by the residents. She sat down next to a pleasant-looking old woman who was knitting a sweater. The Doctor was doing that thing again where he spoke to himself at a mile a minute, usually immediately dismissing whatever he'd just said.

"Hah! Easy! B15 compound- No. Don't have that yet." The Doctor said as he fluttered by them. Amy was studying everyone's behavior. If any nurses or patients didn't fit in with the others, she wanted to catch it quickly. _~Whoever's doing this would probably need to be hiding in plain sight, to keep an eye on us. If it is a who.~ _

"He seems like a nice boy." Said the nice old lady. Amy turned to her, trying to remember her name. "A bit eccentric. Is he a junior doctor with your husband, then?"

Amy looked at the Doctor, then back at... Mrs. Popworth. They'd finally gotten his attention, if only briefly.

"Yes. Yes, he is. Mrs. Popworth, this is Doctor..."

"Smith." The Doctor finished for her. "Nice to meet you."

"Good to meet you, too, Dear. I was wondering. You look like you're about the same size as my grandson. Would you mind terribly if I..?" held up the sweater she'd been working on with a hopeful expression.

"Oh. Here." The Doctor knelt down in front of her and let her pull it over his head. Amy smiled in amusement as he popped back up, still studying the area around them distractedly. It was a fairly awful sweater in her opinion. _~Oh Lord, he'll probably like it then.~_ He paused for a moment, then dropped back down to peer intently into Mrs. Popworth's face.

"You're very old. Aren't you?" He said. "Very, _very_, old."

All the other old people turned their heads to look at them.

"Doctor?" Amy said tensely, struggling against her growing fatigue.

"How are you..." The Doctor trailed off as they both collapsed.

* * *

><p>"...doing that?" The Doctor finished as they woke.<p>

"Who's doing what?" Rory asked, getting up. "Oooh, it's cold."

"Power's off." Koschei snapped, just as Amy answered.

"Mrs. Popworth."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about her. She's a nice old girl, but she's a little invasive." Rory assured the Doctor as he hurried up the stairs. Koschei held his hand up and waved it around rudely, Rory ignored him.

"What was that about the power?" Amy asked, walking over to Koschei's demanding hand to grab it and pull him up off the floor.

"No power, no heat, and I wouldn't trust that little old lady act for a minute." The Doctor replied, coming back down with some unknown device he attached to the big screen.

"You think it's an act?" Rory replied, catching the end of the cord that was tossed to him and plugging it into the spot on the console Koschei pointed to.

"Definitely. As I said, she's very old. Too old to make sense. She's not what she seems."

"You think she's doing this?" Amy asked. Koschei leaned forward against the console beside her, toying boredly with the cords.

"Maybe. I'm not sure. We'll know soon enough." The Doctor said walking up to them.

"How?" Rory inquired.

"We've powered down. There's only one way that happens. Someone on board has to cut the power. Now it could either be Koschei staging a badly planned coup..."

Koschei shot him a death glare.

"Which I highly doubt," The Doctor added smoothly. "_Or_ somebody's infiltrated the TARDIS."

"It's about bloody time!" Said the evil-looking little man that had just appeared next to Koschei, causing them all to jump back in surprise, except Koschei. "It certainly took you long enough."

"Who the hell are you?" Amy demanded shakily, trying to seem more formidable than she felt.

"Oh, did I startle you?" The intruder asked leaning against the console, just a little too close too Koschei for anyone else's liking. "Good."

Koschei growled menacingly, sounding much more like a feral predator this time. The intruder smirked. Koschei showed his teeth. It would have scared any sane person, but the other man just looked overjoyed.

"Hmm, look at you! Going to bite me, eh? That's about all you can do now, isn't it?" He taunted. "Poor little monster's got a headache." He leaned forward and patted Koschei on the cheek.

"Back off." The Doctor ordered and pulled Koschei close, out of this new enemy's reach.

"I wouldn't worry too much about that, Doctor. You've got far greater problems than him, I assure you."

"Who are you, and what do you want?" The Doctor asked stonily.

"Hmmm, well seeing as you're the Timelords, I believe 'the Dreamlord' would be appropriate. That is my specialty, you see." The Dreamlord replied. He then vanished to reappear behind them. "I've created a nice little game for you. Two realities to choose from: one dream, one true reality. You will face mortal danger in both. You have to identify the true reality and face the real threat. Let's start shall we? Right..."

They all began to feel exhaustion wash over them.

"...now."

* * *

><p>Rory woke with a start and noticed Koschei lying on his back on the ground watching him quietly.<p>

"You alright?" Koschei gave him a look that indicated just how stupid a question he felt that was.

"Sorry." Rory said, reaching out to give him a hand. Just then Amy and the Doctor burst out of the doors behind him and he turned to face them startled, leaving Koschei grasping at thin air.

"Qujan. Aei corjia kyon je nyet bvaht." Koschei murmured speculatively to himself. The Doctor glanced down at him, raising his eyebrows.

"You love kids."

Koschei responded with an extremely rude hand signal. Rory pulled Koschei up off the ground and tried to look stern. It didn't work out too well.

"You just called us children, didn't you?"

"Yes." Koschei replied uncaringly, then looked over at the others. "What's it?"

"The old people were all gone when we woke back up. Did you see where they went?" Amy asked. Rory shook his head.

"No. That." Koschei clarified pointing at the sweater the Doctor had forgotten he was wearing.

"Oh. Uhgh." The Doctor said, quickly pulling the thing off. He tossed it to Amy and started off towards the nearby park. She folded it neatly and set it on the desk inside before hurrying out to join the others. When they reached the park, Koschei immediately wandered over to the swing set and claimed one. The Doctor came up behind and pushed him distractedly.

"It's got to be connected to those people in the retirement home." He thought aloud. "There's something going on here. I just can't seem to catch it. I can't think of anything because this place is so blindingly dull!"

"Oi! I live here." Amy protested.

"That's not my fault." The Doctor replied.

"Some of us actually like it here." Rory added, coming up beside his wife.

"Who?" Koschei put in, watching a group of school children being led by their teacher over to some historic ruined structure he didn't particularly care about at all.

"Don't you start." Amy warned him.

"Oh look, there they are." Rory said casually, indicating the rather large group of elderly people walking towards them down the road.

"So, Doctor what do you make of that?" The Dreamlord asked, having appeared suddenly in the empty swing. He waved to Koschei, who abandoned his seat in response. "Well, well, not very friendly. Then again, he must sense he's the odd man out. Isn't he?"

The Doctor moved in front of Koschei. The Dreamlord took another step into his space.

"Oh, yes. The tall, dark protector. You do so enjoy that role, don't you Doctor? You must be loving this one. I mean, really: Menacing Octagenarians in a quiet little village. Wouldn't that be just your sort of thing?"

"Wait. You two've met before?" Amy asked, looking back and forth between them. "You know the Doctor. Doctor why didn't you tell us?"

"Shh. Bhai." Koschei told her, quickly.

"Well, you hardly tell them anything do you? Young and ignorant: that's how you like them, isn't it? Heaven forbid someone might doubt you." On the last sentence, he looked over the Doctor's shoulder at Koschei with a disturbingly knowing expression.

"Leave him alone." Amy said, in a low tone. She held Rory's hand in a white-knuckled grip to keep herself from starting forward.

"_She's_ fond." The Dreamlord commented, then stepped out of the way as the Doctor stumbled and grabbed the chain on the swing for support.

* * *

><p>When they woke up in the TARDIS, the frost was beginning to form on the railings and the various viewscreens. Koschei attempted to stand, but fell right back down with a cry of pain. Rory rushed over to him. The Doctor was at his side a moment later, dropping the box he'd just begun sifting through. Their breath was coming out in clearly visible, white puffs in the chilly air.<p>

"Blankets!" Amy called. The Doctor pointed down to the little alcove where he'd stored them.

"What is it? How do you feel?" Rory inquired.

"It hurts." Koschei replied unhappily.

"Where?"

"Everywhere, and my head, my head, it's more..." He gestured weakly. "Can't focus."

"Oh dear." The Dreamlord said as he appeared behind Rory, leaning against the railing. "I wonder how long he'll last?"

"You bastard!" Amy exclaimed angrily, as she dropped the blankets next to Rory and Koschei. "What did you do to him?"

"Who, me?"

"Amy." The Doctor cut in and shook his head before standing and turning to face their tormentor. "Listen, you need to let him go. I know this isn't part of your game, because if it was, he wouldn't be deteriorating so consistently. Your problem is with me. Whatever you gave him, whatever you did... just fix it."

The Dreamlord studied his face for a while, then leaned forward so they were nearly touching.

"No." He went to move past the Doctor and the Doctor reached out to grab his shoulder. His hand went straight through him. "Better get to work Doctor. Time is running out."

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Thank you all for reading! I know it's short. I'm sorry. Special thanks to Roaringfall, Guessswho, and Mabudachi-trio for your reviews. Ah yes translations:

"Qujan. Aei corjia kyon je nyet bvaht."= "Children. I don't know why I put up with such bullshit." (Rough translation*)

* I am having way too much fun developing this fictional language. Ah, well I have long accepted my own nerdism. So whatever.

As always, please review.


	36. Ashes and Dust

They woke with a start, all jumping up off the ground with a rush of adrenaline except Koschei. The Doctor crouched down beside him as he slowly pushed himself up into a seated position. The Doctor felt his friend's pulse; it was racing unusually fast.

"Kos... How bad is it? Can you-" Koschei grabbed his wrist and stared past him at the ruins.

"Shhh." He hissed, cocking his head to one side.

"Wha-" Rory began

"Shh!" Koschei interrupted. They listened for a moment. "Too quiet."

His golden eyes met the Doctor's hazel ones with an unreadable expression.

"Where are all the children?" The Doctor stared back at him in shock for a second before darting off to the ruins to look. He was right. It was too quiet. Even the birds had gone completely silent. There was no one left where the children and their teacher had been just moments ago. There was nothing but piles of ash and a few left over belongings. He heard someone running up the steps behind him as he knelt down to pick up the teacher's clipboard out of her ashes.

"No." Amy said, disbelieving as she saw what he was studying. "No. Where are they?"

"They're gone." He replied grimly.

"They're- They were just children! Who would do this?" Amy exclaimed as he walked over to her.

"I think I know." He told her, before taking her hand and leading her out. "Come on. We should go."

When they got back to the others Rory immediately ran up to Amy.

"Amy? What is it? What's happened?" Amy just shook her head and pulled him into a hug, burying her face in his shoulder. Koschei began to pull himself up off the ground with one leg of the swingset. He began coughing halfway through. The Doctor went over to help him up.

"They're coming." Koschei warned him softly, looking over his shoulder. Sure enough, there were two crowds of old people coming toward them: one from the road, the other one from the opposite side of the ruins. The Doctor sat his friend down gently on one of the swings and went to address the larger group, the one from the road.

"Doctor?" Amy questioned

"It's them. They're the ones doing this."

"But they're just old people." Rory said doubtfully. Koschei shot him another 'don't be a dumbass' look.

"Hello! Now, it might just be me, but you lot seem a bit tense." The Doctor called to the mob. "I see you've brought reinforcements. Why is that? What do you want?"

As one, the group before them turned to look at the Doctor.

"An orderly mob aren't they?" Koschei remarked. The old people all opened their mouths. There was an odd sort of ripple under the surface in their throats, then a big yellow eye peeped out of each mouth.

"My God." Rory muttered as he came up beside the Doctor. "That is disgusting."

Koschei laugh/coughed at that. Amy patted him gently on the back, watching the crowd tensely.

"Careful now." The Doctor warned. "You may very well have to make a run for it, soon." He turned back to the 'orderly mob'. "Right! So! I know you!"

A couple of the creatures leaned forward and sprayed some sort of light brown mist at Rory who leapt back just in time. Amy let out a startled shriek and grabbed Koschei's hand. As Rory ran up to her she hesitated looking down at Koschei.

"Run, Bhai." He told her quietly. She studied his face for a second before she and Rory ran away towards their cottage.

"Ah! Stop it!" The Doctor shouted at the encroaching crowd "You're Eknodines, a proud and ancient race! You are better than this! What are you doing here? Why aren't you at home?"

"We were driven from our home." Mrs. Popworth answered in a deep, inhuman voice.

"By upstart neighbors, yeah?" The Doctor added.

"So we've been-"

"Living here inside the bodies of old humans for... _Years._" The Doctor finished for them as he worked it out. "No wonder they live so long. You're keeping them alive!"

"We were humbled-" The aliens began wrathfully. This time Koschei interrupted.

"Yes, yes, your ego's bruised, so: hey, why not kill all humans? Don't care. Doctor, time to go!" He said, reaching out so the Doctor could grab him by the arms and help him stand. The Doctor quickly ducked under one arm and they took off in the same direction as Rory and Amy had, not long before them.

* * *

><p>Amy and Rory ran through the field toward their familiar little row of houses. Rory looked back over his shoulder, relieved to see there was no one following them. Amy stopped and leaned against the fence, trying to catch her breath.<p>

"Amy, we should keep moving." Rory said darting over to her.

"We just left them." She said breathlessly. "I can't believe we just left them behind like that!"

"Don't. Don't worry Amy." Rory said uncomfortably. "I mean, come on. It's the Doctor. I'm sure they'll be just fine."

Amy straightened, looking at something over his shoulder.

"Is that Mrs. Wensleydale?"

"Um... Yes, but she can't..." Rory replied disbelievingly.

"Hello Mrs. Wensleydale." Amy greeted with a forced smile. "Nice day is- Oh, shit!"

Mrs. Wensleydale tried to spray them with that strange brown substance and got the fence instead. It quickly crumbled into dust. Rory picked up a decent sized piece of wood and swung it experimentally, calling the creature's attention away from his wife and back to him.

"Oh I don't know if I can hit an old woman!" He exclaimed anxiously.

"Do it now, Rory! Just smack her!" Amy shot back forcefully. He knocked the creature out with a perfect swing.

"Sorry." He told the unconscious alien as they stepped over her.

"Come on!" Amy called, starting to jog towards their cottage. As they got to their cottage they were spotted by some more creatures not far down the street to their right. "Oh that's just..."

They ran quickly into the cottage and locked and bolted the door.

"The window." Amy prompted moving toward the bookshelf. "Here, we can use this to block it."

Rory quickly joined her and together they managed to push it over to cover most of the opening. Rory peeked outside. There were a number of Eknodines closing in on them.

"Well I hope the others are having better luck." He commented lightly.

* * *

><p>The Doctor and Koschei stumbled to the side a little as they ran down the street away from the crowd of angry Eknodines pursuing them. Koschei was weakening more and more with every step, his breathing labored. He was still standing only due to the Doctor's nearly carrying him and sheer stubborn force of will.<p>

"Okay, just a little bit farther." The Doctor assured him. "Just hold on... Almost there."

They reached an iced cream parlor. The Doctor tried the door. Locked. An empty butcher's shop... Yes! Open! He dragged Koschei through the door and set him down gently on the floor before turning to sonic it. He flipped the sign around only to become annoyed by the fact that both sides, apparently, said 'open.'

" 't's glass." Koschei noted darkly.

"I know." The Doctor responded, checking the backdoor. It was locked.

"That can't be very secure though, can it, Doctor?" Said the Dreamlord as he popped up from behind the counter.

"You." The Doctor noted stiffly. "Just, quiet."

"Asshole." Koschei noted dryly as they began to lose consciousness once again.

* * *

><p>"..in the bedroom!" Amy finished as they woke in the frozen TARDIS. The Doctor looked at her questioningly.<p>

"It's not that important." Rory assured him, then went over to check on Koschei. He hadn't bothered to move at all this time. He just snapped his ochre eyes open and watched them all silently.

"You alright mate?" Rory asked checking his temperature. The ochre eyes narrowed.

"Not your mate."

"Right. Here, I'll help you..." Rory trailed off, seeing something in Koschei's hand. Koschei shook his head with a grim expression. Rory looked like he was about to comment anyway, when the Dreamlord popped up behind him.

"Christ!" Rory swore, jumping in surprise.

"What now?" Amy asked crossing her arms. The Doctor was searching through the box at her feet.

"Ha!" He said victoriously holding up a device that sort of, but not quite, resembled an egg-beater. "Rory, catch."

He tossed it to Rory then bustled over to the console to plug the cord from it into the console.

"Wind this." The Doctor told Rory, pointing to a handle on the device.

"I think you'll want to see this, Dear." The Dreamlord told Amy, gesturing toward the big-screen.

"I'm not your Dear." She replied, but turned to look anyway. The Dreamlord appeared next to her leaning in way too close.

"Aren't you?" He taunted. She stared him down coldly.

"Fuck off, Wallace Shawn." Koschei cut in as the screen came on, startling both of them. The effect was ruined however, when it immediately sent him into another coughing fit.

"Oh dear." The Doctor said, staring at the screen.

"Is that a star?" Rory asked.

" 'course." Koschei wheezed.

"Idiot." The Dreamlord added.

The Doctor ran down the stairs and opened the doors. He was instantly met with blinding white light. He hastened to shut the doors and run up the stairs.

"We're on a collision course." He said, surprisingly evenly. "It's a cold star. That's why we're losing heat so quickly. It's not just the power loss."

"A cold star! Is that even possible?" Amy asked.

"I don't know."

"So this isn't real, then. Stars can't be cold. So this one's the dream." Rory concluded.

"Hmm. That so?" The Dreamlord put in.

"I said I didn't know! It could be, but it might not. Why do you lot always expect me to know everything?" The Doctor replied irritably. "I haven't seen everything. I can't be certain."

"Koschei?" Rory asked, turning to Koschei.

"What!" Koschei snapped. Then promptly went into another coughing fit. Rory winced.

"Never mind."

Amy knelt down next to Koschei to rub his back soothingly and tried to calm him down.

"What do we do then?" Rory asked the Doctor.

"Nothing to do really. Is there? Unless you have some brilliant plan." The Dreamlord remarked. "Tell me, Doctor. What do you think?"

"We don't have enough power." The Doctor noted thoughtfully. "Koschei, any ideas?"

Death glare.

"Right." The Doctor responded, beginning to pace.

"He's very surly isn't he?" The Dreamlord noted.

"Shut up, please." Rory told him.

"Except with your Amy. He seems to have imprinted on that girl like a baby duck."

Koschei stiffened.

"Just ignore him."Amy told him quietly. The Dreamlord suddenly appeared in front of them. He leaned in close to Koschei's face, studying him. "Strange. That's not like you at all. Is it?"

Amy looked between the two of them suspiciously. The Dreamlord suddenly straightened.

"That's a shame." He said as they began to become exhausted once again. "Time's up."

There was something oddly foreboding and maybe even slightly regretful in the way he looked at Koschei then.

* * *

><p>The Doctor immediately popped up off the floor and leapt back into action when he came to. He tried to ignore just how disturbigly pale and sickly the other Timelord now looked.<p>

"What kind of hero are you, anyway?" The Dreamlord asked. "The kind that bravely runs away to hide behind glass walls? Not very impressive is it?"

"Koschei." The Doctor said, allowing his friend to grab his shoulders before he scooped him up off the ground.

"They're in here!" The Dreamlord called out as the Doctor pushed past him, heading for the walk-in freezer. There was a pounding on the glass outside. It wouldn't be long at all before they broke through. Koschei began to cough again as the Doctor carried him into the freezer and jammed the lock.

"It's okay. It's okay, I just need to solve this. I just need time." The Doctor muttered to himself, beginning to pace. "Come on! Think!"

Koschei's coughing was becoming more violent. Finally, he went quiet. The Doctor turned to look at him. He was staring at his hand.

"Kos?" The Doctor asked kneeling down in front of him.

"Sorry." Koschei whispered hoarsely. The Doctor's brow furrowed questioningly as he reached out and gently lifted his friend's palm towards him. It was covered in blood. "Sorry... Can't stay."

The Doctor stubbornly began to shake his head, flinching as Koschei's body was wracked by another bout of violent coughing. This time a few drops of blood dripped down his chin.

"I tried... but it's so..."

"Shh... It's going to be fine. I'll figure this out. I promise, just-"

Koschei shook his head sadly.

"Tried..." He drew in a labored breath. It was taking him far too much effort now. "Can't...hold it_._..'m trying..but it hurts!...so tired."

He gasped again, but this time he couldn't quite seem to get enough air.

"No, no, no. Just wait- Please! I can help you. I just- _Please_." The Doctor pleaded as Koschei's eyes began to fall shut. "You can't!"

"Shhh..." Koschei replied too softly as his body began to slump to the side. The Doctor grabbed him and pulled him close.

"No, just..." He cradled his old friend's limp body close to his chest. He was still. No longer struggling to breathe. No double heart beat in his still chest. "No!" The Doctor shook his head, ignoring the tears trickling down his cheeks. "No, you'll wake up. You're not gone." He pressed a tender kiss to Koschei's forehead. "It's just a dream."

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Sorry. I know. I'm sorry. Thank you for reading this, special thanks to Mabudachi-trio for reviewing. As always I would love to hear what you all think of this. Feedback helps me write. I think I've just bummed myself out now... I can't remember what else I was going to say. Crap! Oh, well...


	37. Broken Heart Lolly

Amy and Rory hurried up the stairs to their bedroom as the Eknodine finally broke through the living room window. They quickly locked the door behind them and Rory blocked it with a big comfy chair, which he then sat in. He looked at the window across from him thoughtfully.

"I don't think we need to worry about that, do you?" Amy asked, following his gaze. "They're ancient. I mean, what are the odds that one of them can climb?"

A silhouette climbed into view outside the window.

"You just had to jinx it didn't you?" Rory remarked. Amy looked around for a good weapon. The cord on the bedside lamp was caught up in between the wall and the table. Nothing else really looked weapony enough. She picked up one of Rory's big medical textbooks and advanced slowly as the intruder pushed open the window. She darted forward.

"No, no! Wait!" The Doctor yelled. "It's just me! Don't..." He looked at Amy speculatively. "Were you really going to hit me with a book?"

"I was thinking of more...sort of throwing it at you. You know..." Amy explained uncomfortably.

"Right..."

"You're letting in a draft." Rory told him calmly.

"Oh, yes." The Doctor said, rolling inside, and then popping back up to shut the window behind him.

"Um... Doctor?"

"Yes Amy?"

"Where's Koschei?" The Doctor looked away, clearing his throat. Amy crossed her arms, staring at him tensely. Rory's gaze was locked on the back of his head.

"He was very ill... I... He was too tired and..."

"So you hid him, right?" Amy broke in tightly. "You found someplace safe and you hid him away."

"Well..." The Doctor locked the window, still avoiding eye contact. "Yes. I did, but-"

His confession was cut short as the group of Eknodine from downstairs began ramming the door behind Rory with something heavy. _~If I had to guess I'd say that's our coffee table. They must be stronger than they look.~ _Rory thought wryly. Another slam against the door behind him actually knocked him forward a bit. _~Yep. Coffee table. I was right: oak was a terrible choice.~_ The Doctor hurried over to help push against the door.

"We can't hold them off forever! We need to get somewhere more secure!" Amy said as she began to pace in front of the window. "How far away is Koschei?"

"Nope, that's not viable." The Doctor replied, falling against Rory's shoulder as their pursuers rammed the door especially hard. Rory's eyes narrowed suspiciously. Amy went back to pacing.

"Have you been crying?" Rory asked quietly.

"Doesn't matter." The Doctor responded shortly. Amy didn't seem to notice, but Rory looked back and forth between them darkly.

"Where is he?" He persisted, then realization dawned. "He's dead, isn't he?"

The Doctor's jaw tensed and he shook his head. Amy was leaning closer to the window. She thought she'd seen something move across the shingles.

"No. He woke up." The Doctor said vehemently. Behind them Amy pulled the curtain aside to look out the window. She stood up straight taking a step back.

"Amy?" Rory asked, seeing her saucer-wide eyes. She swallowed.

"They _can_ climb." She reported with forced calm.

"Shit." Rory said in a similar tone.

The Eknodine on the roof broke through the window using the handle of _their_ rake to shatter the glass.

"Of all of the-" Rory began, stopping in surprise as Amy hurled the textbook, hard, through the window, hitting the alien right in the face. There was a sound of a struggling alien rolling across the roof, then a satisfyingly undignified squawk as he fell off. From the sound of it, he had landed directly in the rubbish bins.

"Yes!" Amy hissed victoriously.

"That was an _amazing_ throw." Rory admitted. Amy bent down to pick up another tome that was lying by the foot of the bed, and that's when they saw it. There was a second figure creeping up the roof towards her. She burst through, and Rory grabbed Amy, shoving her out of the way and using his own body to shield her from the creature's deadly spray.

"Rory!" Amy cried, as he was immediately saturated with the nasty stuff. He wrestled the alien back out the window and she fell off the roof with a shriek. He was already disintegrating as he did so. He turned back to them and looked down at his ashy arm as it began to come apart.

"Rory?" Amy choked out somberly.

"That can't be-" Rory said looking shocked and perplexed. Then he straightened, looking at the Doctor. "It's just a dream."

Then he was gone. There was nothing left of Dr. Rory Williams but a pile of ashes already being blown about by the breeze coming in through the window.

"Rory..." Amy sobbed, crawling over to the pile of ashes on the floor. She looked up at the Doctor. "Do something."

The Doctor shook his head sadly.

"Save him."

"I'm sorry."

"You have to fix this. It's what you do!"

"I can't fix everything."

"Then what good are you?"

There was a heavy silence while they stared at each other, broken only by the continued pounding on the doors.

"Let them in." Amy said simply. The Doctor hesitated. "This isn't real. I know you think so, too, so let them in."

"Are you sure?"

"It doesn't matter. If I'm wrong, then I don't want to be awake anymore, not without him." More figures were creeping up the roof towards them, she didn't even spare them a glance as she stood. The Doctor pushed away from the door and grabbed the sides of the chair.

"Alright, this is probably going to hurt..."

Amy nodded.

"I'l do it on three." The Doctor announced."One..."

An Eknodine began to crawl in through the broken window. She watched it detachedly.

"...Two..."

Amy closed her eyes as it dropped to the floor.

"Three!" The Doctor shoved the heavy chair out of the way and the Eknodine burst into the room. They didn't struggle..They didn't scream. Amy and the Doctor just stood together as the crowd consumed them, hand in hand, as they waited to wake up.

* * *

><p>Amy snapped awake with a gasp and turned to look over at the still, frost-covered form of Koschei lying next to her. His eyes were shut, apparently in sleep.<p>

"Amy? Doctor?" Rory's voice called and he plopped down on her other side.

"You're awake!" He said happily.

"Oh, yes!" Amy replied with a teary smile and pulled him into a tight hug.

The Doctor jumped up from the floor and began to look over the console rubbing his hands together to try and get some feeling back. They all looked up at the sound of clapping coming from the staircase.

"Bravo!" The Dreamlord excaimed. "You have chosen correctly." He appeared next to the console and began manipulating the controls as their ship sprang to life once again. "Well, good show! Fair's fair. Here is your reward."

They quickly changed course, heading away from the cold star. He began to walk away up the stairs, already fading. Amy looked down at Koschei's still form.

"No wait!" She called after him, resting her hand on her friend's motionless arm. "You forgot Koschei! Aren't you going to wake him up?"

"Oh no, my Dear. I haven't forgotten." Amy's brow crinkled in confusion. "Didn't you know? Your fractured friend is not asleep." He looked hatefully over at the Doctor. "Is he?"

"What?" Amy whispered leaning over Koschei and shaking his shoulders. "Koschei? Koschei! Come on! Wake up!"

Behind her Rory just watched sadly. He tried to put a comforting hand on her shoulder but she shrugged it off.

"Come on, we've solved it. Just wake up!" She insisted, patting his cheek. Then she froze, sucking in a sharp gasp and falling back against Rory's chest. Koschei's cheek was ice cold. They were snapped out of their trance by the sound of the drive pillar activating.

Rory jumped up.

"What are you doing?"

"It was a trick." The Doctor explained, not looking up from the controls or halting what he was doing. "I knew something was off. I just wasn't sure. Not until now."

"Sorry, what?" Rory tried again.

"It was a trick question. He's the Dreamlord. He controls the world of the dream, yet he was perfectly adapted to both scenarios. He always made sure to state it as a choice between reality and a dream, but none of it's real. It can't be."

Rory became even more worried after hearing that.

"So what're you-"

"Oh this? I'm setting us on a collision course." The Doctor answered distractedly.

"You're what?" Amy piped in, standing and hastily joining him at the controls.

"It was a false choice. This isn't real. I'm certain of that."

"And if you're wrong we're going to crash into a star and die." Rory pointed out.

"A cold star." The Doctor reminded him.

"Doctor." Amy warned, catching his eye with a dire expression. "This is serious. We could die."

"I am _not_ wrong." He replied just as seriously. She waited a beat before nodding and leaning back against the console.

"Fine." She said simply.

"Um... Are we?" Rory muttered nervously and then took a big breath and grabbed the console. "He's sure."

"I promise I'll explain." The Doctor vowed exitedly. "Ready!"

"No." Rory replied moodily. Amy grabbed the console.

"Do it." She replied. The Doctor flipped the last lever, sending them catapulting into the massive star.

* * *

><p>Amy fell out of her seat with a little shriek as she woke.<p>

"Ah! Zi'jaien! Really Bhai! That was _way_ too high-pitched!" Came a wonderfully familiar voice.

"Koschei!" Rory shouted from somewhere on the floor.

"Um... yes?" Koschei replied "Who else would I-Ooof!"

He was nearly knocked off his feet when Amy tackled him in a hug.

"You're alive!" She exclaimed happily.

"Oh! Yeah, of course, Love. I always-Ooof!" Koschei's response was cut off by the Doctor making him the center of a hug sandwich. "Oh really now, Theta! This is getting ridi-" Rory walked up in front of him. "Fine..." Koschei surrendered longsufferingly and Rory joined in, though more gently. Koschei tolerated this for a few more seconds before nipping at the Doctor's chin and declaring...

"Alright, too sweet! Time's up! Do release me now, or I just might get a few cavities."

They pulled away. Amy and the Doctor doing so a little hesitantly. The Doctor pecked him on the cheek rebelliously as he did so. Koschei growled, but only softly.

"Doctor, you said you'd explain how you knew it was a trick."

"Well first, it was because I knew who the Dreamlord was... and then- second, because of Koschei." The Doctor explained matter of factly. Koschei cocked his head to the side.

"Sorry... Koschei?" Rory questioned.

"Don't worry about it." Koschei teased, pulling a lollipop out of his pocket and unwrapping it.

"No I- Oh."

"He was ill for no explainable reason, and all his of ramblings had a similar theme to them. The illusion wasn't working on him properly." The Doctor explained, eyeing Koschei, who shrugged and popped the lollipop into his mouth. "He wasn't dying. It just looked that way to us in the illusion. It was because he was waking up."

"Why..." Amy began, and then her eyes widened as the answer hit her. "Oh." Rory looked at her questioningly.

"Exactly." The Doctor replied. Rory held his hands out in a helpless gesture.

"My mind isn't like any of yours." Koschei explained. "I'm split into three. Makes me a bit trickier to manipulate. You might catch one of me off guard but one of the others is bound to notice."

The Doctor was walking past him toward the doors.

"Okay... and the Dreamlord? You said you knew who he was?"

"Of course. Only one person in the universe could hate me that much." The Doctor replied, blowing some strange, glowing dust out the doors.

"What's that, then?" Amy asked watching the dust swirl away into the abyss before he shut the doors.

"A bit of psychic pollen from the Fields of Craston Slava. It fell in the time-rota, heated up and induced a dreamstate for all of us. It must have been lying around in there for ages."

"So you're saying only pollen could hate you that much." Amy deadpanned.

"Oh no. Not at all. I thought you'd realized. That wasn't the pollen. That was me." The Doctor said then looked over at Koschei. "Well, me with traces of the Master mixed in, I suppose, but he _was_ resisting quite well."

"That was you?" Amy asked incredulously.

"Well, my dark side, to be more precise. Everyone has one; that's what the pollen does. It feeds off of all of the negative emotions and dark thoughts of it's host. Over nine hundred years old... there was alot to feed on."

"So then it was us too. We were all infected." Rory pointed out.

"Oh, no. You? You're too good! He would have starved to death feeding off of you lot. I choose my friends very carefully." The Doctor assured them as he began bustling about the controls. Amy walked up beside him to address him quietly.

"But Doctor, about all those things he said-"

"Amy, a question is about to occur to Rory in a moment. A very important question, and when it does you are going to want to answer it." The Doctor cut in at normal volume.

"Actually, yes. I do have a question." Rory realized.

"And there it is." The Doctor grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to face her fiance. "Go on then. Off you go."

"I can't seem to remember how we all figured out the first dream."

"Yeah, well, you actually weren't really there for most of it."

"Um, Why? I don't remember going anywhere."

"You didn't... You died."

"Oh... So then how did you know for certain that it was a dream?"

Koschei, sensing the answer, and the overall sentimentality of the conversation, hastily fled the area. He popped up onto the console to sit directly in the Doctor's way. The Doctor flashed him a mildly annoyed look and stood in front of him, patiently waiting for him to speak. He waited just long enough for the Doctor to head towards full blown annoyance.

"Your dark side's an ass." Koschei informed him conversationally.

"So's the Master." The Doctor countered.

"Yeah, but you love him that way. For some unfathomable reason."

"Maybe it's because he's a part of you." The Doctor offered with a sly smile. Koschei shot him a harassed look, taking a lick of his heart-shaped candy treat.

"Nope. Nice try, but you won't scare me off that easily. The younglings are proving much more embarassing at present."

The Doctor began to peek curiously around the pillar but Koschei snapped his fingers in front of his friend's face.

"Ah! No. That's none of our buisness." Then Koschei sobered. "Do you really hate yourself that much?"

"Oh, they can't be doing anything that disturbing." The Doctor responded, crossing his arms.

"That wasn't what I meant and you know it."

The Doctor looked down at the floor panels as if they were the most interesting thing in the galaxy.

"Well I guess I've earned it, haven't I?" He said more quietly. There was a fleeting silence, and then he finally looked his companion in the eye. "_You_ don't. Not really. I'm not sure I understand why not."

Koschei studied him with an unreadable expression on his pale face until a sly smirk slowly spread across his lips.

"Maybe it's because _you're you_." He said echoing the Doctor's earlier statement, and batting his eyelashes playfully.

"Very nice, Kos." The Doctor replied, falling back into their comfortable banter. "Keep saying sweet nonsense like that and someone might sweep your androgenous-"

"Oi!"

"Well you are, aren't you! All long, lush eyelashes and delicate bone-structure."

"Says the one with the unnecessary comb-over."

"It's not a-Mff." The Doctor's denial was muffled by Koschei suddenly shoving his lolipop into the Doctor's mouth. "Gff. Koschei!"

Koschei was already scampering away, laughing maniacally and leaving a flustered Doctor and two utterly confused humans in his wake.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Okay so, there you are thats the end of that chapter.. Sorry about the weird ending I was really tired when I finished this(at like four in the morning, I'm a raging insomniac) and might have been a little loopy. I still think it works. Thanks for reading. Special thanks to Mabudachi-trio and RoaringFall for reviewing. I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations. As always please review.


	38. Something in the Water

**The Female of the Species**

_"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself."-FDR_

* * *

><p><span>Chapter One: Something in the Water<span>

Betty-Jean Albert walked down the dark, twilit road, humming to herself. She had been working the nightshift and had ended up having no choice but to walk home after her car stalled. She didn't mind. She didn't believe any of those monster-stories folks had been telling anyway. As she passed the swamp she heard a splashing sound like someone coming out of the water. _~Oh wonderful, some of them darn skinny-dippers out leavin' Budweiser cans around everywhere for one of us to go and pick up after 'em in the mornin'. Honestly! Why the heck do they need tobe screwin' out there at this time of night?~ _She brushed it off. It was none of her business. There was a heavy squelching footstep behind her, and then another, in perfect time with her own. She stopped for a moment to look over her shoulder, but as she turned, despite a strange splashing sound, there was no one behind her. She shook her head and kept walking. The squelching footsteps resumed, in perfect sync with her own. She sped up and so did they. She glanced over her shoulder quickly, and this time she caught sight of a huge, impossible silhouette. It was seven feet tall with two arms on each side of its shapeless chest, and another reaching right out of its center; its whole form rippled as it moved like murky water blown by the wind, and when its feet hit the ground, it made little splashes. It was impossible. She stared, frozen in fear and disbelief as it came towards her. it reached out for her and she snapped out of it. She spun back around and broke into a flat out run. The creature just continued to reach for her, and its arms stretched unendingly until they were wrapped tighly around her strugling form. She screamed for all she was worth. She had never been more terrified in her life... and then it was over.

The next morning the body of Betty-Jean Albert was found lying on the mossy shore of the swamp. Her face contorted in a silent scream, her dark hair was now pale white and her face was pale and colorless, making her stand out starkly against the moist, black soil beneath her corpse. When the coroner investigated, trying to establish cause of death, he could not find one. There were no wounds, not even bruises. Her body was perfectly healthy, with no signs of illness. It was as if she had literally been scared to death.

* * *

><p>Jyun looked up from the book he was reading as he heard Amy calling out to him. She ran excitedly through the halls towards him.<p>

"In here!" He called back and in no time at all she was dropping down haphazardly on the other end of the couch. He barely pulled his legs out of the way in time.

"Koschei?" She asked breathlessly. His leather jacket fell off the arm of the sofa, behind her. "Oops." She reached down and picked it up, tossing it onto the chair to Jyun's right.

"Jyun." He corrected calmly, studying her for a moment before carefully marking his place in the book and setting it aside. "Did he finally manage Rio?"

"Well, actually... No." Amy admitted, with a little shrug "But it's really nice out wherever we are. It's all sunny and warm and, come on! I'll show you!"

"I was reading." Jyun pointed out.

"You can read later. Just come and take a look." Amy insisted, grabbing his arm in one hand and his cap in the other and pulling him up off of the couch. He wordlessly allowed himself to be led down the stairs and out into the bright sunlight. It was hot and humid outside. The bright sun was causing mist to drift up from the swamp and the moss growing all over the roots of the trees around it. The Doctor and Rory were looking across the swamp at something on the other side of the water from their landing site and talking quietly to one another.

"See? I told you! Isn't it great? It may not be Rio, but at least we've managed someplace sunny and warm-"

"Hot and humid." Rory muttered in disagreement just loud enough to be heard.

"Someplace nice!" Amy continued unfazed. Jyun surveyed the area. There was a subtle but familiar tremor on the edges of his empathic sense. He adjusted his hat to try and better shade his pearly white face from the sun as he answered.

"It's just fine, Amy." Jyun assured her blankly. "May I read now?"

"You don't like it?" Amy asked, looking disappointed. "I can't be the only one who thinks this would be a nice place to rest."

"You aren't." The Doctor confirmed as he walked past her to pull Jyun aside, then informed Jyun quietly. "We have a problem."

"You feel it, too?" Jyun whispered back. The Doctor nodded."We could leave now."

"No, we can't. Something's draining the TARDIS' systems. We don't have enough power to leave yet."

"I'll go take a look." Jyun said with a brisk nod, turning back toward the TARDIS doors.

"Rory can help you." The Doctor informed him at a normal volume as Rory walked up to them. Jyun nodded. "Twenty minutes."

"Understood." Jyun confirmed as he and Rory ducked back into the TARDIS.

"What was that about?" Amy asked suspiciously, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Just a little malfunction, nothing to worry about. How about we and go find someplace nice and have a bite to eat while the others are busy here?"

"Alright. Where are we anyway?" Amy asked taking her sneakers off so she could walk barefoot down the dirt road.

"Earth, in the late nineteen-nineties I believe. Somewere in the Southern United States. I can't be sure where, exactly. 'Guess we'll just have to find out."

* * *

><p>"So what, exactly, is going on?" Rory asked as he helped Jyun pull up one of the floor panels.<p>

"The TARDIS is losing power. We're fixing it. Catch." Jyun replied, tossing Rory his Breton cap.

"No, I get that; but what about out there? Someone was killed over on the other side of that swamp. I heard the Doctor saying something about hunters." Rory persisted, Jyun hopped down into the opening. It was hard to tell how much he was listening. "Look, if there's something going on-"

"There is always something going on." Jyun cut in blandly as he slipped down under the flooring to check the circuits.

"If we're in danger- Well, I think we have a right to know." Rory replied testily.

"You are if you think you are." Jyun responded cryptically.

"What is that suposed to mean?" Rory asked, furrowing his eyebrows.

"The Doctor was right. We have a leech." Jyun thought aloud, then held out his hand to Rory. "Spanner."

"A leech?" Rory echoed as he passed the requested tool down to his alien friend.

"It's vernacular. Leech: A term used to refer to a wide range of offensive devices originally pioneered by humans in the early thirthieth century; a device designed to latch onto the outer hull of an enemy craft and drain energy from the drive system." Jyun recited in an even more bored-sounding monotone.

"Oh, okay. So we just have to find it and detach it, right?" Rory asked hopefully.

"Take this." Jyun ordered, handing back the spanner, then pulled a familiar device out of his pants pocket.

"Isn't that..." Rory began to ask, eyeing what seemed to be a slightly sleeker version of the Doctor's screwdriver in the other man's hand as he activated the device and a bright-yellow laser shot out of it, beginning to cut through a panel.

"You will mention nothing." Jyun warned threateningly, before his tone switched back to the more familiar soft, indifferent monotone. "We can't detach it ourselves. I will deactivate it. We'll need to wait for appropriate power levels to be restored before we can take off."

"Um... Sounds good." Rory replied, checking the medallion on his collar, just to be certain this really was Jyun. ~ _Mmhm. Gold. It's Jyun. Why is that not reassuring?~ _ "How long will that take then?"

"I am unsure how long the TARDIS will need to recover but it will be at least twenty four hours. Repairs should take approximately fifteen minutes." Jyun reported reaching out a hand again. "Spanner."

"Here." Rory said holding out the spanner. "Fifteen minutes; that's cutting it a little close."

"Fifteen if you stop distracting me." Jyun amended. A pale, grease-streaked hand reached out to beckon him closer. "Come. Hold this."

"Right." Rory said with a sigh and slipped down under the flooring beside Jyun to help.

* * *

><p>Amy quickly pulled her shoes and socks back on and they headed into Sal's Diner. They sat down on the pale blue vinyl seats of one of the window-adjacent booths, and she noticed the Doctor checking his watch. Before she could ask him about it, a bouncy blond waitress in a powder pink uniform sidled up to their table.<p>

"Welcome to Sal's, home of Sal's famous pecan pie!" She greeted with a well-practiced smile as she handed them menus. "My name is Lindee I'll be your waitress this afternoon. Now ya'll just let me know if you have any questions about the menu or anythin'."

"Yes actually, I was wondering if you could tell me where exactly we are?" The Doctor asked pleasantly, causing the young woman to shoot him a questioning look.

"Yeah, we've just been on the road for a while, what exactly is the name of this town?" Amy covered quickly.

"Oh, right! Ya'll are in Petit Bois, just a few miles outside of New Orleans. Ya'll here for vacation or are you just passin' through?" Lindee asked, now looking a little more comfortable.

"Something like that." Amy responded. "It's just so nice! I'd love to just stay here."

"Well, I've always loved it here, too. 'specially meetin' all the different people that pass through here during the summer vacation. I'm afraid we haven't been gettin' as many of ya'll visitin' since those deaths over by-"

"Lindee!" A tanned middle-aged man peeked out of the kitchen and hollered roughly, in a Cajun accent. Lindee straightened and glanced back at him.

"Sorry. I'm talkin' too much. I'd better get over there and see what he wants."

"Lindee! Where you at, girl?" Lindee smiled apologetically at them. "I'll be back in a moment to get your orders." She said and hurried over to see what the cook wanted. Amy leaned forward, setting her menu back down on the table.

"Would you care to tell me what's going on?" She inquired accusingly.

"So the pecan pie looks nice." The Doctor commented lightly, studying the menu.

"Doctor." Amy warned, staring him down.

"Yes, there might be some sort of something going on, but I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." The Doctor admitted.

"People are dead, Doctor. That's why we're here isn't it?" Amy responded, unconvinced.

"Not really so much why we're here as it is another effect of the reason that we're here." The Doctor informed her hesitantly.

"What?" The Doctor's phone rang as she asked this and he quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Doctor. It's Rory. Well, of course it is... We're almost done with the repairs but Jyun wanted me to tell you that you were right. It was a leech." Rory said awkwardly. There was someone else talking in the background, and Rory added. "Class three?"

"Hmm, thank you Rory. Listen I'll call you back when I'm sure, but I think I've found something here worth looking into. In fact, why don't you just call me back when you're finished."

"It's got to do with that murder doesn't it?" Rory asked. "You think whoever planted the leech is involved in the murder."

"I've considered it, yes. Just call me when you're finished and I'll know more then." The Doctor replied, as Lindee walked back over to their table. "Goodbye Rory."

"So have ya'll decided what you'd like to order yet?"

"Yes I think I'd like to try some of that famous pecan pie. Amy?"

"The same for me thanks." Amy said, not looking away from his face.

"Alright, anythin' else?"

"I was wondering if you knew anything about those deaths you mentioned. I heard there was a new one, just this morning?"

"Oh, you know, I shouldn't..." Lindee said with feined reluctance. The Doctor and Amy just exchanged a look and waited. A moment later Lindee leaned toward them conspiratorially. "Well you know, poor Mrs. Samson's the fourth one's been found like that. They've been sayin' the coroner can't even find no cause of death, neither. Like they died of fright. Of course, t'ain't my place to judge, but frankly I wonder what all of them were doin' wanderin' about alone so late at night in the first place. I mean it ain't exactly normal now, is it? 'Specially with a killer on the loose."

"I guess not." Amy conceded, hesitantly. "So they all happened after dark? Near the swamp?"

"Well, yeah. Pretty near. Not far from it, I s'pose..." Lindee straightened and smoothed out her apron. "Now there I go again. You want anythin' to drink? We got sweet tea, Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, pink lemonade, regular lemonade, Chocolate Yoo-hoo, Lite-"

"Pepsi sounds fine, thanks." Amy quickly assured her.

"Alright, I'll just go on and get that for you, then."

As soon as Lindee was out of hearing, Amy turned back to the Doctor and her smile slipped off her face.

"So, the reason we're here is because there's something scaring people to death and you didn't feel it was necessary to let any of us know about that ahead of time?"

"Well. The individual who is doing the killing may or may not be trying to trap us here." The Doctor explained.

"It's trapping us here! How?"

"Someone foreign to the current time set a device to latch on and drain power from passing transtemporal craft." Amy's eyes widened at that news and the Doctor was quick to reassure her. "It's alright. Jyun's dealing with it. We should be perfectly fine. I'm more concerned about why this is happening."

"So, people are mysteriously dying of fright around a spooky swamp. That sounds like our sort of adventure." Amy admitted.

"Well then, Amy Pond, do you fancy a murder mystery?" The Doctor asked, getting that excited look in his eyes.

"Why Doctor, I believe I do." She returned his smile, beginning to catch his enthusiasm.

* * *

><p>Rory looked over at Jyun lying next to him under the mass of pipes and wires as he disconnected a powerline and then reconnected it doing God-knows-what to it with his laser. The lights around them flickered and then came back on looking a little brighter.<p>

"Finished." Jyun reported mildly, then ran his eyes over Rory appraisingly. "You're messy."

They both slid out from under the console.

"So are you." Rory replied, amused. "You're all greasy. Just look at your face. You've got a smear right there." He indicated somewhere on Jyun's face vaguely.

"Where?"

"There." Rory said touching Jyun's cheek and adding heavily to what was at first a small streak of black on the side of his face.

"Thank you." Jyun deadpanned.

"I should call the Doctor."

"You should wash first." Jyun informed him. "Showers are two doors down and to the right of Amy's room."

"So I recall." Rory acknowledged, adding more quietly to himself. "Right, i just need to go see where she's tucked my things away, then.."

"Your clothes are in the left side of the dresser, except the top drawer. That's empty."

Rory turned to shoot him a suspicious and mildly jealous look.

"Don't be ridiculous. Koschei came in to talk to her while she was tidying up."

"About what?"

"Unimportant." Jyun dismissed, wiping the grease off his hands with a garishly colored rag. Rory frowned at him in annoyance as his phone rang.

"Hello."

"Rory!" Amy's voice responded. "Did you two get rid of that device yet?"

"Um, well Jyun said we couldn't detach it here, but we've managed to disable it. What's going on? I thaought you and the Doctor were going to take a look around until I called back."

"Oh, yeah, he was. I just wanted to see what was going on."

"Umm... Okay?"

Jyun narrowed his eyes at Rory.

"Is it Amy?"

Rory nodded. Jyun held out his hand for the phone.

"Here, Jyun wants to talk to you." Rory explained before handing over the phone.

"Hello? Jyun?" Amy asked.

"It's me. Why are you calling? Where's the Doctor?"

"Oh, he's fine. He's busy talking with the Sheriff." She replied with feined nonchalance. Jyun closed his eyes and silently waited for her to elaborate. "Okay! So did he, at least tell _you_ about the murders?"

"What murders?" Jyun inquired automatically. _~At least I know why he's with the Sheriff.~_

"Wait, there's more than one?" Rory exclaimed, causing Jyun to not-glare at him. It really was amazing how much the guy could relay with only a subtle change of his eyes. Rory was compiling a list. This was squint #2 'Irritated Jyun'.

"Four people have been killed in the past three weeks, all without any signs of a struggle, all with the color drained from them as if they were literally frightened to death."

"We'll need to get him a look at those bodies."

"Easier said than done." Amy remarked meaningfully. "The coroner has already had a look and the Sheriff isn't going to let a couple of strange foreigners in to view the remains, psychic paper or not."

"I'll handle it. Give me the Doctor."

"What? Fine. Doctor?"

"Yes?" The Doctor acknowledged.

"You're a consultant."

"Yes, of course." The Doctor replied, apparently still within earshot of the human authorities.

"Good. With the FBI. I'll be there soon to back you up."

"Right. Fifteen minutes."

"Got it." Jyun hung up and raced up the stairs tossing Rory his mobile. "Come along. Get cleaned up. I've got to be at the police station in fifteen."

* * *

><p>"Listen I don't care who you say you are. I'm not letting you screw with my investigation!" The Sheriff declared as the Doctor and Amy sat waiting in the two uncomfortable wooden chairs that faced his desk.<p>

"No one's trying to screw with your investigation, Sheriff." Amy looked up both relieved and impressed as she heard the familiar voice replying in an unfamiliar, yet flawless American accent.

"You must be the Fed." The Sheriff noted gruffly.

"Agent Masters." He said flashing his 'badge'. The Doctor raised an eyebrow at him. "And of course you've already met my consultant Dr. Smith and his assistant." He continued and offered a handshake.

Amy studied the Master in his trim black and white suit and his deep-red tie that didn't quite cover the red medalion peeking out underneath._ ~Hmm.. That was fast. When did he switch?~ _There was something a little unsettling in the way his golden eyes seemed to be locked unblinkingly with the Sheriff's. He finally blinked and relaxed his expression when the other man grasped his hand to shake it.

"Sheriff Clement." The Sheriff responded. "Listen, Son, I know you're just tryin' to help here, but I really don't have a lot of time for this. This is the summer rush right now and the last thing I need is to be looking over my shoulder cause of a rookie FBI Agent skulkin' around on my murder case."

The Master's smile barely faltered.

"I assure you Sheriff Clement. I'm no rookie. In fact if you want this case solved, then I suggest you put your trust in us." The Master responded smoothly, once again staring into Sheriff Clement's eyes, as his voice took on a strangely soothing quality. "We will be the ones who can help you do it."

"Master." The Doctor warned. The Master blinked and turned his gaze calmly to rest briefly on the Doctor.

"Right now. Let's take a look at those remains shall we?" He said pleasntly.

"Yes, of course. Right this way." Sheriff Clement replied eagerly and led the way out of the office. Rory, who was talking with someone at the desk, looked questioningly over at them as the Doctor grabbed the Master's arm.

"You cannot just hypnotize people to get what you want." He whispered harshly.

"Apparently I can." The Master disagreed. "I do get the point, though. No more under your watch."

The Doctor continued to look displeased. Amy decided she'd heard enough of this to tell where it was going and went over to join Rory.

"Oh honestly Doctor you really are no fun." The Master commented.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Hello again. Sorry about the wait but I am a friggin' stress-ball right now and just couldn't manage this in time. Thank you all so much for reading this I hope it was okay. I will admit I have not been to Louisiana myself but my parents did live in the South for a while before I was born and my mom was nice enough to help me out a little with the dialect(s) and stuff if any of you know something about it and would like to give me some advice I would be most grateful. Special thanks goes out to RoaringFall and Mabudachi-trio for reviewing. Please people share some feedback love! I need it!


	39. Ambiguity

"Hey, Marlene. Can we get these two a look at Mrs. Sampson, please?" Sheriff Clement asked the jaded-looking, middle-aged woman in a white labcoat as they entered her morgue. It was clearly her morgue. You could see it in her face.

"And who exactly_ are _these two?" She inquired with a deep, velvety voice as she pulled out the requested cadaver. Her dark eyes landed on the Master and she raised a fastidiously plucked eyebrow.

"These're some Feds that have come to look into the Medusa Case."

"Agent Masters." The Master said, offering his hand and one of his trademark smiles.

"Dr. Walker." Dr. Walker replied, shaking his hand and giving him a once over. "You're a little young, aren't you?"

"He's older than he looks." The Doctor corrected as he moved past her to study the body. The Master shook his head and sent Dr. Walker a charming, apologetic smile.

"And this is Dr. Smith."

"Call me Doctor." The Doctor stated distractedly, not looking up from his inspection of the corpse.

"He's like that." The Master informed Dr. Walker conspiratorially. "But he's very good at what he does."

"I should think so." Dr. Walker agreed. The Doctor straightened and began patting himself down.

"My sonic... where did I? Ah, here it is." He pulled out his screwdriver and ran it over the remains.

"What?" Walker asked. The Master made a dismissive gesture.

"So tell me about the victims. Have you found anything that might link them together at all?"

"Didn't you read the file?"

"I thought I'd talk to the locals. Files are so impersonal. There is only so much they can tell me."

"Well, I didn't know most of them too closely. I knew Betty-Jean the best. That was a shame. She was a sweet, young thing. She was a real extrovert. I don't know how the others could be connected at all, other than the likelihood that they were friends of Betty-Jean's." Dr. Walker explained. "You know, it was strange... she was the one found closest to the water."

"Why is that?"

"Don't you remember from her file? Poor girl had aquaphobia."

* * *

><p>"So d'you do this a lot?" The deputy asked, leaning backwards to balance on the two back legs of his chair. Deputy Morris, or Jimmy, was sitting with them while they studied the files to which the Master's con had gained them access. Amy sat on the desk beside him skimming over another.<p>

"Hmm? Sorry what?" Amy asked looking over at him.

"Travelin' around like this. I mean, do they bring you consultants along a lot of the time or..."

"Oh. We travel." Amy replied.

"This isn't the norm, though. We're really more like assistants." Rory 'clarified' vaguely.

"Hey, what's Agrizoophobia?" Amy asked Rory, pointing to a notation on the page.

"Fear of wild animals." Rory answered, then paused, staring thoughtfully down at his file.

"What is it?" Amy asked. Rory put down the folder he was looking at and quickly picked up another, searching through it. "Rory?"

"That's strange..."

"Whatcha' got?" Jimmy asked, letting his chair fall forward onto all its legs.

"Phobias." Rory stated, flattening out the folders on the desk. Amy slid down off the desk so that he could spread them out in front of the others. He pointed to each file in turn.

"Agrizoophobia, chiroptophobia, kynophobia, and..." He opened the last file and searched it briefly. "Yep, I thought so: Aquaphobia."

"Alright, so they all had fears. They didn't have a shrink in common, or anythin'. We checked that medical stuff out at the beginnin'."

"No. I was actually thinking the fear was the link. It just seemed like something worth considering." Rory said, sounding a little less sure of his conclusion.

"In what way?" Jimmy asked.

"Um..." Rory began.

"Doctor!" Amy greeted as she noticed the Doctor and the Master coming their way.

"Oh, thank God." Rory sighed, relieved by the timely disruption.

"You found anything?" Amy asked.

"Maybe. Nothing conclusive yet." The Doctor replied.

"And you two?" The Master prompted.

"Rory might've found a link between the victims." Amy confirmed. Jimmy blew out a breath, clearly not buying it.

"Let me guess." The Doctor said smoothly. "Phobias?"

"Yes. How?" Rory questioned. The Master winked at him, playfully.

"Apparently, poor Miss Albert-" The Doctor began.

"The aquaphobe." The Master supplied.

"-was the one found closest to the water." The Doctor finished, looking only mildly annoyed by his friend's rude interruption.

"So you figure whoever this is is using the victims' fears against them." Jimmy concluded.

"Possibly even as a weapon." The Doctor agreed.

"That's a little out there isn't it?" Jimmy asked, looking a fraction less skeptical than before nevertheless.

"That's why we're here." Amy pointed out.

"Illusions perhaps?" The Master offered, looking at the Doctor. "It could explain the timing of the attacks. It's a natural, human instinct to feel less secure during the night. Exhaustion would only make it easier."

The Doctor nodded his agreement. Jimmy looked thoughtful.

"I think at least one of them was on some kinda meds. I'll call the geeks over in the lab and have 'em check for any evidence of hallucinogenics bein' used."

"Good you do that." The Master said with a nod, sounding just a tad patronizing to Amy. She considered feeling defensive on behalf of her species for a second, then let it go.

"Thank you." The Doctor added, before heading out of the station. The others were quick to follow him.

* * *

><p>They split up; the Doctor and Amy went to check out the swamp, while the Master and Rory visited the latest crime scene.<p>

"Hmm. Interesting... maybe- No, not yet. Interesting..." The Doctor was murmuring to himself as he flitted around the place where they'd found poor Betty-Jean Albert. Amy looked around at a more leisurely pace at a spot farther away from the water's edge. It was best just to leave the Doctor to it when he was in the zone like this. She caught sight of something shiny peeking out under a patch of moss. She stooped down and brushed some plants out of the way. It was a gelatinous drop of some strange, shimmery-looking goo. She poked it with a twig and it trailed nastily when she pulled the twig away, clinging and stretching. It smelled incredibly sweet, unnaturally sweet in a nauseating way. She blinked rapidly and dropped the twig as her eyes began to water.

"Oolh-kh. Yuck." Amy gagged, fighting down the impulse to vomit. Looking up, she caught sight of another trace of the stuff dried to the bark of the tree in front of her and coughed. _~Hmm, maybe it left a trail, after all... Where were you going?~_ She glanced back at the Doctor. He was too caught up in what he was doing at the moment to interrupt_. ~Alright then, let's have a look.~_ Amy followed the sequence of revolting splotches, even as they became fewer and farther apart, until the trail died off completely.

"An old shack?" Amy observed the dilapidated and abused structure. There was even a random assortment of graffiti on one damaged wall. Ignoring the corny, pointing caricature in red spray paint and assorted tagging, she went over and focused on the door. The handle had been ripped right off. She pulled the sleeves of her thin, green, cotton jumper over her hands and pried open the door. ~_Well, that's something. These look like they might belong to the victims._~ She walked carefully into the shack to take a closer look at the beaten wooden shelf built into the opposite wall. There was an an asortment of items spread out on it, each sporting a certain amount of residual goo. It looked like whoever had put these little trinkets down had had some of the substance on their hands when they did so. There was a mobile phone sitting closest to her on the shelf. Its face was cracked and it had some black soil caked on the corner that was a probable match to the soil by the swamp.

In the darkened corner behind her and to her right, something stirred. Amy didn't notice as she leaned in to get a closer look at the battered phone. An indistinct, black something was reaching oh-so-slowly out of the darkness for her. Fingers perhaps. A glistening claw steamed slightly as the light hit it, illuminating the drops that fell from it, soundlessly. There was a sudden bright flash of light outside, followed by a thud and a groan. Amy jumped and spun around to run outside and see what the hell _that_ had been - sliding and almost falling on her way out the door. She paused to spare a bewildered glance at the inexplicably slick floor. The claw had already vanished back into the darkness.

"Hello?" Amy called as she searched for the source of the groan. There was a shuffling sound around the other side of the shed to her right. She followed it, hearing a clank and an indignant 'Ugh' as someone with a rather nice, deep voice knocked into one of the rusty bins sitting against the wall.

"Hello? Are you alright?" Amy tried again as she came around the corner. Her eyebrows almost melded with her hairline at the sight that met her. A long, slender, red-headed man, the same one she'd seen on the security tapes in New Vegas, was lying on the ground, covered head-to-toe in ashes, soot and bits of debris. His leather jacket was shredded beyond the point of recognition and his ash-covered hoodie was as black as his torn jeans only because of the incredible amount of soot and burned bits all over it. He looked up at her and his silver eyes widened in surprise.

"Amy? What? Where?" Amy really meant to ask him how the hell he knew her name, and go into an incredibly eloquent and detailed tirade about how he'd basically set Koschei up to be killed back in New Vegas, but all that came out was a shell-shocked sounding:

"You're on fire." He looked down at himself.

"Wha- Oh fuck!" He then thrashed and rolled on the ground a bit until the back of his hoodie no longer sported flames.

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Amy inquired tightly as he got up off the ground and pointlessly brushed himself off. Wow, he was tall.

"Hmm, why do you-? Ah, actually where is 'here'?" He asked looking around.

"Petit Bois, Louisiana."

"Ah."

"At a crime scene."

"Mmm." He looked down at her and smiled fondly. "A crime scene. Oh,_ that's _cute. Medusa Case, yes?"

"How'd you guess that? Were you involved?"

"Oh, really, Love? I'm wounded." He deadpanned, then bit his lip, considering something before one side of his mouth quirked upward in an amused smile. "Oh, of course." He grabbed her shoulders, looking her right in the eye with a very serious expression. "Listen and remember: twenty minutes past midnight. Whatever you do your eyes stay shut." He shook her by her shoulders, rhythmically punctuating each word.

"What? Get off me!" Amy asked, and yanked his hands off her shoulders. He just grabbed her shoulders again.

"Listen: there isn't time for this. Your eyes stay shut and you will live, understand?" Amy glared up at him. "Understand?" He repeated.

"Yeah, I heard you!" She confirmed irritably, and he let her go. She wasn't sure why, but he seemed familiar. She didn't think he wanted to harm her. He took a step back, actually looking relieved.

"Good." He vanished in another bright flash that forced her to shield her eyes. _~Well that was weird.~ _She thought to herself. _~I should probably go tell the Doctor.~_

She turned and left to find the Doctor, leaving the smoking remains of the mystery man's burned and tattered leather jacket lying forgotten on the ground.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Hey guys, thank you all for reading! Sorry this is so short. I'll try to have the next one up a little sooner than usual to make up for it but I can't make any promises, but hey, I finally got to bring back the Red-headed Man so there's that, right? I don't know, maybe it's just me that finds that exciting. I hope it isn't just me. Special thanks to Mabudachi-trio for the encouragement. I'd love to hear what you guys think about this so please, do review.


	40. Residue

First off, the Master and Rory had a brief chat with the woman who'd found Mrs. Samson: her landlady. She turned out to be a fairly awful old woman who seemed to care more about the scandal than the loss of human life, and the Master seemed to have less than no patience for her. Next they took a look around the basement where the body had been discovered. Rory was the first down the steps. He almost lost his temper when he turned to look back and noticed something that he felt he shouldn't have been able to miss.

"Koschei!" Amused, faintly glowing eyes looked up at his face.

"Rory." Rory let out a frustrated sound and tugged the chain on the exposed light bulb that hung loosely from the ceiling, to turn it on. "Unbel- You know, it was bad enough you made me do nearly all the talking, but you actually switched mid-discussion didn't you!"

"Yes." Koschei confirmed calmly, not seeming to see the problem.

"That is _so_ rude!"

"I think you're over-reacting, just a bit." Koschei informed him, pushing past him to survey their surroundings. "Also, there aren't actually any clearly defined-"

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. That was disrespectful and you know it."

"I am unrepentant." Koschei deadpanned, unrepentantly. "The Master was beginning to contemplate electrocution. It seemed prudent to give him another option."

Rory sighed and nodded curtly to show he agreed.

"So which phobia was this woman's?" Koschei asked. As they continued to look around, he pulled an abused and gnawed-on little teddy bear out of one of the many cardboard boxes stacked up against the wall to the left of the stairs.

"Fear of insects." Rory replied as he searched the opposite side, inspecting the dusty line of shelves on the wall loaded with various forgotten items.

"Hmm, that explains the scratches." Koschei commented, gingerly sniffing the bear. He made a digusted face and dropped it back into the box with a cough. Rory glanced over his shoulder at him. "Mildew." Koschei explained, seeming to be personally affronted by the occurrence.

Rory turned back around, continuing to inspect the shelf with a slight smile. He saw something smeared on the side of an otherwise extremely dusty green jar.

"Hey, come look at this." He called, seeing smaller traces of it coating the top of the spines of a few books on the shelf below.

"What is it?" Koschei asked, coming to stand beside him. Rory pointed to the jar. "Oh, very good. Looks like someone left some residue behind." Koschei pulled a little plastic bag out of his pocket and scraped a sample off into it for later testing.

"We're dealing with some sort of slimy monster aren't we?" Rory inquired moodily.

"Relax Eeyore. It's just a a slimy, possibly monstrous-looking alien. No need to get-Urggh! Son of a bastard!" Koschei jumped back suddenly, resting a hand on Rory's arm for balance and glaring furiously down at the floor.

"What is it?"

"It's a bloody ferret!" Koschei exclaimed, with a muted growl as his eyes scanned the floor intently, like a prowling cat's.

"So? What's wrong with ferrets? My mate Peter had a ferret. It seemed cute enough." Rory asked, unconcerned.

"No! They are vermin! Like rats, but all fast and bitey!" Koschei corrected, stamping his foot a couple times before looking Rory in the eye very seriously. "Ferrets are evil."

Rory couldn't help it. He started to laugh. Koschei shot him a withering look that only made it even harder not to laugh.

"Sorry. Sorry." Rory said, doing his best to fight it back down. Koschei straightened his suit. There was a skittering sound and then a small brown shape sped across the floor and vanished in between two cardboard boxes. Koschei's eyes locked onto it intently. He definitely was reminiscent of a hunting cat. Rory snorted. Koschei twitched.

"It isn't that funny." He said, scowling at Rory. He straightened up again heading for the stairs with a more dignified air. "Come along, let's get back to the TARDIS and see what the others have found."

* * *

><p>Just as Amy was about to step back into the TARDIS and see how the Doctor's 'goo testing' was coming along, she spotted Rory and the-Koschei coming toward her.<p>

"You're back. Did you two find anything?" She called to them as they walked up.

"There was some disgusting residue on one of the shelves in Mrs. Samson's basement." Rory said elbowing Koschei's arm so he'd pass her the sample. "Koschei thinks we might be dealing with a slimy monster of some kind."

Amy looked questioningly at Koschei.

"A mucous-coated, amphibious-alien. Possibly monstrous in appearance." Koschei amended.

"His sounded better." Amy informed him, pointing to Rory. "I found some of this stuff over by the swamp as well." She said as they entered the TARDIS. "Find anything else out?"

"Her landlady was a _dhorv_."

"Koschei!" The Doctor reprimanded loudly from where he was leaning over the console.

"You haven't met her." Koschei defended, looking irritated.

"What's a-?" Amy began to ask, but the Doctor cut her off.

"Do not repeat that." He told her quickly, looking scoldingly at Koschei. "Watch your language. Now, anything else you might want to mention?"

Koschei just glared at the Doctor and walked past him to sit on the stairs.

"Not really. Sorry. We got a bit distracted by her ferret." Rory admitted. The Doctor looked over at Koschei.

"Ooh, that's right. You hate ferrets, don't you?"

"_Jeht. Jen maj M'oshyi_."

"Well then, I'll take that." The Doctor said as Amy passed him the sample bag. "I'm almost finished testing the sample from the swamp. It should be finished soon. Did you tell them the rest?"

"Not yet."

"The rest?" Rory asked.

"I found an old abandoned shack where the creature seems to be stashing away mementos from the victims." Amy explained, leaning on the railing next to Koschei.

"She also saw our mystery man once again." The Doctor addded helpfully. Koschei looked up at her, suddenly very interested.

"Do you think he could be responsible for this?" Rory inquired.

"I don't know." Amy replied with a shrug. "He didn't seem like a threat to me. He seemed just as startled as I was that he was here."

"It is interesting though." The Doctor observed. "It's almost like he's following us, and that's not an easy thing to do." The console dinged. "Ah, here we are. Let's see who we're dealing with..." He grabbed the screen and studied the readout. Koschei got up and came to peek over his shoulder. "_Amphibious Sentia_, a female from the looks of it. Ooh that's dangerous. Looks like this one's been around a while too. The psychotropic enzyme in her mucous secretions are up at very high levels. This is enough Oneirine Toxin to affect even a Timelord. No wonder the humans exposed died. They were massively overdosed."

"Is there an antitoxin?" Rory asked hopefully.

"Not one you'd want to take." Koschei replied, turning and leaning back against the console next to the Doctor, crossing his arms. "A dose of Hygeoid-Nanobots into your cerebellum. It's better to just do your best avoid the stuff and take your chances without treatment."

"Nevertheless. I'll go look for them in medical storage just in case. I know I have a batch of them tucked away somewhere." The Doctor announced and disappeared upstairs to do so.

"I'm not taking them." Koschei stated adamantly. "Just don't touch the slime. How difficult can that be?"

"Amphibious..." Amy whispered thoughtfully, before looking over at Koschei. "It's probably hiding in the swamp at least some of the time, yeah?"

"Of course."

"Well, do you think the toxin could've leaked into the water supply? I mean if the levels are so high and everything..."

Koschei nodded, standing up.

"You're right. In fact, odds are it will happen soon, if it hasn't started already." He climbed the stairs, following after the Doctor. "We'll have to test the water in the swamp."

"What about Sheriff Clement?" Rory called after him. "The Master told him he'd check back with him after he was done looking at the crime scenes."

"You and Amy go stall him until we call you." Koschei called back over his shoulder.

"Bollocks." Rory sighed.

* * *

><p>Koschei and the Doctor swiftly went off to test the water while a slightly dejected Amy and Rory went to play interference with the Sheriff. She had been right. The toxin content in the water was reaching critical levels, and from the TARDIS' further scans, the rate of infection was just about to skyrocket.<p>

"_Zi'jien_." Koschei cursed. "Fine. I'll make the call." The Doctor tossed him his mobile over the console and went back to preparing a dose of nanobots just in case.

"You are the Fed, afterall." He teased.

"Just get to work, Dr. Smith." Koschei replied in a bland, American accent.

"Koschei?" Rory answered on the other end.

"Yeah it's me." In the background Koschei heard the Sheriff order Rory to give him the phone.

"Agent Masters, you mind tellin' me what the hell is goin' on here. We had an agreement!"

"I know that, Sheriff Clement, and I have every intention of upholding my end; however it has just come to my attention that the water in the swamp in the vicinity of these murders is about to reach deadly toxicity. I believe that may be the missing link between the murders that we've been looking for."

"That's ridiculous. Hardly anyone even goes down by the swamp-"

"And that would explain why it took so long for it to be discovered. We have to seal off the area. I have it on good authority that any exposure to the pollutant at this point would be disastrous."

"Listen, get down here. I ain't closin' anythin' down until I see some evidence. You got me?"

"I'm on my way, as we speak."

"You'd damn well better be."

"See you then." Koschei replied pleasantly and hung up. He turned to the Doctor as they left the TARDIS. "When we get there, you're dealing with him. Not me."

"Of course." The Doctor agreed easily.

* * *

><p>While the Doctor and Koschei dealt with the disgruntled Sheriff in his office, Rory and Amy waited at Jimmy's desk. He had just gone outside to deal with a call he'd gotten from another officer who needed his help with some minor criminal who was raising a ruckus out front.<p>

"So Amy, what happened this time with the mystery man?" Rory asked, toying with a stapler.

"Nothing much, really. He showed up all dirty, and a little bit on fire, and insisted I shut my eyes after midnight." Rory stared at her.

"He what?"

"His jacket was on fire when he first showed up." Amy clarified. "I have no idea why. It looked like he'd been through an explosion or something. Anyway, when he got the fire on his jacket out, he sort of grabbed me by the shoulders and insisted that I should shut my eyes twenty minutes after midnight, then he vanished. It sounds a bit daft doesn't it?"

Rory nodded.

"Who knows, maybe he is. We don't know anything about him."

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Amy said, then frowned.

"What is it?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm thirsty."

"Well, don't drink the water."

"Ugh, I know. This is going to be a wierd one isn't it?"

* * *

><p>.<p>

**A/N:** Yeah, I know it's short. I didn't have as much time to work on this as I probably needed and was beyond stressed so I apologize if it turned out a little... off. I might rewrite it later if it doesn't work out. I don't know. Anyway, thanks for reading this. Special thanks to RoaringFall and Mabudachi-trio for reviewing. Translation below as usual:

_Dhorv: A foul word you really don't want to know any of the meanings of. A term you'd never use in front of your grandmother._

_Jeht. Jen maj M'oshyi. : (Roughly translated) Yes. Move on Darling._

Oh, and as always please review.


	41. Delirium Memorandum

**Chapter 4: Delirium, Memorandum**

They spent another couple of hours at the police station after Rory went with the Sherriff to seal off the swamp, trying to pinpoint the alien's next target. She was obviously hiding out somewhere near the swamp and using the surrounding area as a hunting-ground, but that knowledge made their task only a little bit easier.

Amy looked out the window tensely, for the umpteenth time. The sun was just beginning to set.

"Stop that." The Master commanded shortly, not looking up from the map that he and the Doctor were studying.

"Hmm. What?" Amy asked as she turned away from the window to look at him.

"I can sense your tension from here." He replied, still not looking up. The Doctor's fingers fluttered distractedly over the map and then he slapped the Master's hand lightly when he began to pick at one of the colorful markers attached to it. "If you let yourself fixate on the time limit, you will only add to your own anxiety, therefore becoming useless."

"I have every reason to be anxious." Amy defended. "Someone's going to die tonight if we don't find this thing first. We can't drink the water because it might be poisoned with a deadly hallucinogen and I'm bloody thirsty!"

"If you're thirsty, go fetch something to drink from the TARDIS." The Master responded unsympathetically, finally looking over at her with a disapproving expression. "Better yet, why don't you just stay there. Your short –sighted, self-indulgent behavior is distracting me."

Amy scoffed indignantly, looking like she was about to argue further. The Doctor finally pulled his attention away from the map.

"Stop arguing, both of you. Amy, we are currently tracking an alien that uses her victims fear to kill. Letting yourself become increasingly anxious is only going to make you more susceptible. Master, stop bating her. I realize that you're probably only trying to distract her, but as you've mentioned before: some of us are trying to work. So please: behave."

The two of them sat silently for a moment. Amy was looking repentant as she eyed the Master thoughtfully. The Master was glaring irritably at the Doctor for telling him off and implying he was being nice.

"Right, I'm going to go check out that little shack that Amy found earlier." The Doctor announced looking down at the Master as he rose. "You're welcome to come along if you like."

He then headed briskly out of the room with Amy following close behind him. The Master hesitated before dropping the pen he'd been fiddling with onto the table top and following also.

* * *

><p>When they got to the shack the Master silently slipped inside to look at the little trinkets that Amy had already shown the Doctor earlier. Amy and the Doctor went around the back. The Doctor knelt down next to the burnt, leather jacket, taking out his sonic-screwdriver and scanning it. Amy wandered a little deeper into the trees, looking for any more disgusting goo or other clues to the creature's whereabouts.<p>

"Hmm. Same readings as before. It looks like he used another tesseract…or two." The Doctor noted, then he frowned. "Two?" He did a little spin, scanning the area around him with a vaguely spasmodic motion and then frowned deeper. "Yes, two tessracts. Here and here… but the odds of two of them appearing this close together are astronomical! Then there are the odds of two appearing within range of the same individual… It's impossible. So how come it isn't?"

"You're doing that thing again." The Master informed him drolly, as he came around the corner to join him.

"What thing?" The Doctor asked and the Master shot him a look. "Oh… It helps me think."

"He can't be generating them himself." The Master observed.

"That doesn't help me." The Doctor informed him. Amy smiled.

"If you can think aloud, so can I." The Master replied. He pulled a pen out of his pocket and gingerly used it to pull the remains of the leather jacket up off the ground and inspect it more closely, keeping it carefully away from his pristine suit. Amy was suddenly very tempted to blow on it. _~No, I'd better not. That would be cruel. He might shock me.~_

He seemed to be studying the jacket with an incredible amount of focus. The Doctor had already moved away to continue his own search for clues. The Master finally seemed to come to an apparently unpleasant conclusion and promptly placed the jacket back on the ground and started back around the side of the shack. Amy followed him.

"What is it? Did you find something?"

"Perhaps."

"What is it? Is it something bad?"

"That would depend on your point of view." The Master returned unhelpfully. Amy grabbed his arm and turned him around to face her.

"What's wrong?" She persisted. He remained silent and his face had become unreadable. "Master, tell me what's wrong. Come on, you're scaring me."

His golden eyes bore into her for a while before he answered flatly:

"I'd watch that if I were you. Could be dangerous." The Master then pulled his arm out of her grip and leaned back against the wall.

"Master…" Amy said pointlessly. He was transitioning. Koschei opened his eyes and blinked up at her, questioningly.

"I don't suppose _you'll_ tell me then, will you?" Amy observed. Koschei tilted his head to one side.

"Tell you what?" He asked innocently. Amy sighed.

"That's what I thought."

"What did he do?" Koschei asked, sounding suspicious. Amy shook her head.

"Forget it. He was just being… Forget it." She assured him, turning to walk back to the Doctor. Koschei pulled a lemon drop out of his pocket and popped it into his mouth, watching her retreating form with a self-satisfied smile. He turned and went inside walking over to the shelf to look at the goo-smeared, collection that was still arranged atop it. He didn't notice the glistening, dark violet tail that slowly descended from directly above the door behind him, a drop of subtly steaming mucous forming at the tip as it continued downwards.

"So, there has to be a preference." Koschei thought aloud. "Something draws you to these people but what would that be? Who next…" He picked a watch up off the shelf and studied it. The first drop fell from the glistening tail as it began to curl. Koschei looked up at the faint sound. The tail finished coiling and whipped forward to hit him in the back of the neck, but he dropped out of reach, rolling into into a backwards somersault.

"That answers that question." Koschei remarked, throwing the watch at the creature as it dropped to the floor, blocking his escape. "Shit!" He rolled out of the way as the tail lashed out at him again. He searched his pockets, ducking the tail one more time before shouting victoriously. "Ha! Got it!"

He shot the creature in the side with his laser-screwdriver and bolted out of the shack when the creature retreated into the shadows.

"Phew! " Koschei commented, whirling his screwdriver between his fingers and tossing it to himself. "You almost had me there. Hmm, I must be getting rusty." The dark violet tail whipped out of the doorway and he shuffled back. "Listen, I know I'm tempting but really, to be honest, Gorgeous, I'm just not worth the trouble." He aimed his screwdriver at the doorway. Two red eyes peered out at him. "Stay inside." He recommended.

The sky was already a vivid mix of dark reds and purples. It wouldn't be too long at all before the sun was completely gone. Koschei knew that sunlight was all that had been keeping his attacker inside. The creature leapt out of the shack and he fired at it again, this time just barely hitting its tail. It let out a terrible grating sound, a mix between a shrill scream and a roar and he ran for the trees. Hitting its tail had been a lucky shot. As the Doctor's tests had indicated, this one was old, female and therefore unfairly fast.

"Why the fuck does this always happen to me!" Koschei demanded loudly to the universe in general. He suddenly skidded to a halt and fired off a couple shots at the creature that had just blurred into existence right in front of him. It leapt back with another angry shriek/roar and he had to slap his hands over his ears, wincing at the horrible sound.

He started to crawl away but the creature pounced.

* * *

><p>Amy and the Doctor looked up at the strange, blood-curdling shriek that cut though the air around them. No not a shriek, a roar. They looked at each other.<p>

"What was that?" Amy asked tightly.

"That would be _Amphibious Sentia_." The Doctor replied, looking around them.

"Oh, I thought so. I was hoping I was wrong." Amy admitted.

"Amelia?"

"Yes Doctor?"

"Where's the Master?" Amy's eyes widened and her gaze snapped back to him for a split second before she darted off at top speed toward the little dilapidated shack. The Doctor hurried after her.

They'd just got to the shack when they both stumbled slightly at the shrill sound of another shriek/roar from much closer by. Then a very winded-sounding string of incomprehensible alien curses. They didn't hesitate to run towards the sound.

"Koschei!" Amy cried when she saw the still black and white form lying still on the ground with what looked to her like a gigantic black and purple newt with spikes crouched over him.

"Cover your ears." The Doctor ordered and let off a sonic burst in the creature's general direction. The creature let out another dreadful shriek/roar and ran off towards the swamp. Amy rolled Koschei over onto his back his eyelids were fluttering and his breathing was rapid and uneven. She reached over to pick a fallen leaf off his cheek when the Doctor grabbed her hand.

"Wait. Be careful." He told her indicating his friends face. Amy looked closer. There was a coating of glistening slime on the side of Koschei's face. That was why the leaf was stuck to it.

"He's been poisoned!" She realized worriedly, then tilted her head to the side to look at his ear. "And his ear is bleeding."

"I know. Here, help me with this." The Doctor said pulling off his jacket. Amy helped him wrap it around Koschei. He then hoisted the other Timelord up onto his shoulder and tossed Amy his mobile phone. "Here, call Rory. Tell him what happened. We need to get back to the TARDIS."

* * *

><p>Koschei opened his eyes. He was lying alone in a dark, empty room. It was strange. He couldn't remember how he had gotten here. It wasn't a dream or the others would be here. He felt alone in his head. There was no sign of Jyun's stoic presence in the periphery, nor was the Master's fiery consciousness pushing at his boundaries as it usually did.<p>

He was just him. He looked around. There was a row of tall wooden bookshelves lining the wall behind him. A door in the wall in front of him painted dark red with ancient chipped paint. There was another door, this one pristine white, almost to the point of glowing, in the wall to his left. He looked away from the ridiculously white door to inspect the tattered, slightly moldy tapestry on the wall in front of him. He could barely make out the image; it was so faded from age. He stood up and moved closer, pulling the sleeves of his hoodie down over his hands to combat the moist, chilly air blowing in through the broken glass doors to his right. The tapestry showed a beautiful picture of a landscape. He didn't know why, but Koschei felt the real place didn't actually look so beautiful. There was a cute little shack surrounded by trees and two figures one wearing green, one wearing tan, standing together over… well whatever they'd been looking at had been torn or worn out of the picture at some point. ~_It probably doesn't matter.~_ This thought didn't stop Koschei from wondering though. For some reason, the question still bothered him. One of the glass double doors creaked open and he could see someone step into the room from the storm outside on the balcony in his peripheral vision. Her long blue dress left a trail of water in her wake as she quietly came up behind him.

"This isn't about the tapestry and you know it." She told him draping an arm over his shoulders. Her long, red hair left a wet patch down his back.

"I'm trying to remember, I promise. It's still difficult." Koschei assured the Dream-Amy.

"I know about that. You're still avoiding why we're here." She told him gently, wringing the water out of her long silk gown. He watched this before letting his gaze drift back to the tapestry.

"You aren't in the tapestry." Dream-Amy informed him with a hint of impatience in her tone. "Do you know why we're here?"

Koschei sighed and walked over to the red door and reached for the knob. It felt strangely patterned under his touch. He pulled it open there were tall impenetrable flames on the other side and the smell of blood. Dream-Amy leaned away from the heat of the door looking at it distastefully. As he shut the door Koschei thought he could hear himself laughing. It was amused, joyful-sounding laughter that didn't seem to fit the chaos that surrounded it, but he was certain that he'd heard it.

"Well, that was fun." Dream-Amy remarked, sarcastically. "So, shall we see what's behind door number two?"

Koschei nodded and went over to the bright white door. He paused, seeing the Gallifreyan symbol etched into the knob. _~To escape.~ _He furrowed his brow thoughtfully for a moment before pulling open the door. He stared at the sight presented him.

"Oh, well that's… That's… Koschei?" Amy said uneasily. Koschei silently shut the door again. He leaned back against the closed door and slid down to the floor. Dream-Amy rested a comforting hand on his shoulder. He took in a deep breath and looked at the knob to the red door. Just like its counterpart it too had a Gallifreyan symbol etched into it. It was an instantly recognizable pattern, the intricate, spiraling mandala-pattern that was used to indicate death in all its manifestations. "It's alright. You don't have to choose yet. Your mind just brought us here. You don't have to focus on it anymore."

"But I have to choose." Koschei concluded darkly. Dream-Amy stood in front of him and held out a hand to pull him up. He eyed it briefly, before accepting it and letting her lead him out to the balcony.

"We're going to get soaked." Koschei noted pointlessly. Dream-Amy just shrugged.

"Got to keep a step ahead." She explained as they stepped out into the pouring rain. "Keep your wits about you and all that."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"If you don't remember, I shouldn't tell you." Amy answered unhelpfully. "Hold on."

And then she pulled him into a run and they went hurtling off the balcony to fall down, down, down, an impossibly long drop in the downward direction until they landed in the grass in front of the Doctor's familiar blue TARDIS.

"You are trying to remember, aren't you?" Amy asked, sitting up and picking daisies to make a chain with.

"Of course I am. Why, don't you believe me?" Koschei responded looking at her intently. She just kept calmly making her daisy chain.

"I do. You just don't seem any different yet. It's getting a little late. That's all." Koschei frowned at that news then began to look around them. They were parked in the grass outside a nice little church. There were people moving about inside but he couldn't quite make out what they were doing. He thought for a second he might have seen the Doctor in there somewhere, but he might have just imagined it.

"This is where I get married." Amy explained, then paused and looked up from her daisy chain to flash him a warm smile. "Maybe you _are _getting better."

"Why did you bring me here?" Koschei asked. Amy shook her head biting her lip slightly as she tied off the daisy chain.

"It's your mind. I'm just watching. Here." She leaned forward and hung her flowery necklace around his neck. "Very nice." There were dark clouds rolling in from the north. Dream-Amy looked up at them unhappily and took hold of his hand again. "Come on. It's time to go."

She pulled him up and the ducked quickly into the TARDIS. Just before he was inside Koschei looked out to see the shadow of the cloud moving towards them; no not a shadow, it was a swarm, a swarm of many nasty little things scurrying towards them. Dream-Amy yanked him inside before they got too close.

"As I mentioned," Dream-Amy chastened as she shut the doors behind him. "We are trying to keep ahead. Please, don't dally so much in future."

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Okay, so, sorry for the roughness of this, especially up at the beginning. My computer died and so I had to write this on a public computer without any of my notes. That is also why I took so long to post. I assure you that although my posting may be more delayed I have no intention of abandoning this. Thank you all for reading and special thanks to Mabudachi-trio and CrystalSearcher for reviewing. Crap I've almost hit the timelimit, gotta go! Oh, um, please review.


	42. Reunion

Amy leaned against the wall in Koschei's room, looking down at his unconscious form lying in the bed in front of her. The Doctor had administered the nanobots as soon as it was safe, but it might be a couple of hours before they knew if it was working. The Doctor and Rory were down in the drive-room, trying to figure out how to capture his attacker. The Doctor seemed more focused than ever, working feverishly on his task. He'd actually snapped at the Sheriff when he'd called in and tried to take control of things in 'Agent Masters'' absence. He hadn't called back again since. Amy stepped forward and took her alien friend's hand in hers.

"You'll pull through this." She assured them both. "I know you. You're tough. Besides, I don't think there's anything that could scare you _that_ much." She looked away for a moment, considering how little she actually knew. "Just, hang in there, okay? We'd miss you too much now. You're- you're family, and I don't really know much about family. I never really had one before, but I know it's true. You're like some daft old alien brother or something... so you'd better not die on me." Amy sighed. This was ridiculous. He probably couldn't hear her. She wasn't sure how much she really wanted him to. There was a loud clanging sound from downstairs and the lights flickered. Amy looked up at the ceiling for a second before turning back to Koschei. "I'll be right back." And then she got up and hurried downstairs to see what the Doctor had gone and done now.

* * *

><p>Koschei followed Dream-Amy through the halls of the TARDIS. They were a lot larger and grander than they were in reality, reminding him of the halls of the old academy, back on Gallifrey. Dream-Amy stopped at the large, ornate double-doors at the end of the hall. They didn't belong in the TARDIS but what else was new? He stopped and looked at her through narrowed eyes.<p>

"Well?" Dream-Amy prompted, unperturbed. "Are you going to open them or not?"

"Why are we going back? You know that won't help us remember."

Dream-Amy sighed, frustrated, and crossed her arms.

"Oh, come on. Why are you being so difficult? I've explained before: it's _your _mind! Can't blame me for your dream, can you? Now, hurry up! We've still got to keep moving."

"Why?" Koschei asked, not moving.

"Because… because it's dangerous." Dream-Amy answered vaguely, then gestured impatiently to the door. Koschei crossed his own arms. Dream-Amy groaned.

"Do you know where that leads?" Koschei inquired primly.

"No. Does it matter?"

"Yes. I'm not going back there. They lied, tore apart my family, experimented on me and worst of all: they made me what I am today."

"That last bit didn't seem so bad."

"I'm not going through the doors." Koschei returned with finality. Dream-Amy ran a hand through her hair.

"Fine! Just… Where to next then, Koschei? We're a little short on time at the moment."

Koschei looked around at all the other mismatched doors that lined the great hallway. He pointed at a familiar wooden door with a family insignia carved into it.

"There." He grabbed Dream-Amy's hand and led her quickly through the door into his old house back on Gallifrey. Amy looked out the window and saw Theta sitting outside reading, with Mita and little Keya picking flowers nearby. The suns were shining pleasantly and they could hear Salen moving about upstairs.

"Home, sweet home I see." Amy said, watching the girls compare their little bouquets. She smiled warmly. "They're adorable."

"This was a long time ago." Koschei reminded her walking over to take a seat at the slightly-abused-looking, wooden table behind her. He picked up a dark purple fruit and took a bite out of it. "You know, I really liked these. There's nothing quite like them. It's a shame they're all extinct."

"Why did we come here?" Dream-Amy asked, taking the seat opposite him.

"The fruit." Koschei quipped.

"I mean it. Why here?" Dream-Amy asked earnestly. Koschei traced the wood grain on the table-top. Dream-Amy caught his wrist. "Koschei. Tell me. You can't even look out the window. Why bring us here just to make yourself so miserable?"

"I don't know."

"Koschei."

"I don't—It's safe here, I guess. At least back then I thought it was. This was before it all happened. Nothing bad happened here." Koschei's golden eyes flicked up to the moving, metal, double-mandala fixture that was rotating oh-so-gradually on the wall to Dream-Amy's right. "Tomorrow, everything changes. They said they were helping us. They pretended that they were fixing me, but really they were just making me into their weapon. I faded away and he replaced me, and then I lost everything."

"You never said anything."

"It doesn't matter now, and before…Well, you know Theta. He would have tried to save me. There was nothing either of us could've done; I was a soldier and a defective one at that. They would've destroyed him. I couldn't take the risk. So, I just kept quiet and did what I could to protect my family, and in the end, I was long gone before anyone would've had the chance."

Dream-Amy stared at him sadly for a long moment before they both jumped. There was a loud, drawn-out scratching sound from the door to the house. Outside it had gotten dramatically darker.

"Time to go." Koschei concluded. Dream-Amy nodded, as whatever-it-was scratched at the door again with purpose.

"Which way?" She asked. He quickly grabbed her arm and led her upstairs.

* * *

><p>"What's going on down here?" Amy asked, coming down the stairs to join Rory by the controls.<p>

"Oh, that. Yes, I suppose that was a bit disruptive wasn't it?" The Doctor replied distractedly as he ducked back under the console and sonic-ed something that was out of her line of sight. She looked questioningly at Rory.

"He's, um. He said something about rerouting power and triggering reboots in the command centers of the TARDIS systems?" Rory said sounding uncertain of the last part. The Doctor nodded in confirmation.

"I see, and why are you doing that?" Amy inquired as the Doctor reached up and muttered 'spanner, please'. She passed the requested tool.

"Mmph rrrghuhu rrghrr diih eekh." He answered her incomprehensibly. Rory shrugged.

"Maybe if you took the screwdriver out of your mouth." He suggested patiently. Amy reached down and took it for him.

"I said: In order to trigger the Leech." The Doctor clarified. Rory stood up straighter from where he'd been leaning against the console.

"The Leech." Amy said tensely.

"Yep." The Doctor confirmed.

"The Leech that someone left in order to trap us here."

"Oh, good. You understand." The Doctor said happily. Amy and Rory exchanged a look.

"Well, no actually. We don't." Rory explained. "Why are you trying to turn that thing back on? It's going to trap us here."

"Because someone is bound to notice." The Doctor replied, reaching out to take back his sonic. Amy pulled it out of his reach. He sighed. "The same someone who noticed when we deactivated their little trap and still did nothing in reaction. The person who put it here obviously knew we'd be able to find and disable it. They are going to wonder why I'm going out of my way to turn it back on. Can I please have my sonic now, Amy?"

Amy passed it back to him and sat down on the floor next to him.

"Why do we want to get their attention now? I thought we were going to try to stop that slimy amphibian thing first."

"They came here equipped with transtemporal-mines and first class scanning equipment. They have a ship." The Doctor said simply. "Wait, wait, wait! Almost…" The lights flickered again as he sonic-ed another circuit. "There!" Sparks flew and then he pulled himself back up as the lighting returned, at a dimmer level.

"Okay, so now what?" Rory asked.

"They're hunters. Professionals. Once they know about _Amphibious Sentia_ they won't hesitate to take her onto their ship. She's a level 5 hazardous life-form and in no way does she belong in this quadrant of space. They'll be duty bound to retrieve her under the laws of the Shadow Proclamation. No one argues with them."

"They're still after _us_!" Amy pointed out. The Doctor smiled at her cheekily.

"Are they?" He replied with a wink, throwing open the TARDIS doors and scampering out excitedly. Amy hurried after him.

"Doctor?"

"Just wait. Trust me." The Doctor said looking up at the sky. "Come on. Where are you?"

"Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"No. Not really, but I'm _pretty_ sure. Oh, here they come. Thought so."

A dark blue and black, pod-shaped craft, with veins of rich magenta light hovered down through the night sky, speeding in their direction.

"Wait. No. It can't be—Oh, you have got to be kidding me!" Amy exclaimed, both incredulous and annoyed to recognize the style and design of the shuttle that landed silently in the grass a few meters away. A split appeared and spread until the top could pop up off the craft and reveal the two extremely familiar blue aliens inside. Their shiny black jumpsuits incongruous in their natural Terran surroundings.

"What are they doing here?" Rory asked from the doorway to the TARDIS.

"Let's find out, shall we?" The doctor suggested easily. "Oh, and keep the TARDIS doors shut from now on, please."

Rory hesitated briefly, looking up the stairs towards Koschei's room before stepping out of the TARDIS and pulling the doors shut behind him.

"Thank you." The Doctor said as the two Collectors walked up to them.

"Doctor." Lessli greeted. The other Collector, whom they hadn't seen before nodded noncommittally. The Doctor smiled at him pleasantly.

"Lessli, fancy meeting you again so soon! Well I say soon because it's soon for us, but-"

"Why are you still here, Doctor?" Lessli asked impatiently. The other Collector raised an eyebrow at that, but said nothing.

"Well, why are you laying traps you know I can get out of?" The Doctor replied, looking as if he were enjoying himself.

"You and your… little friends are not our only concern." Lessli responded stiffly. "Answer me."

"Oh, well. Good to know, I guess. Otherwise you might get boring. Hello." The Doctor greeted, turning to the unfamiliar Collector. "I'm the Doctor. I don't believe we've met before."

The other Collector opened his mouth to speak, but Lessli spoke before he could.

"Don't waste my time Doctor. Answer the question or hand over your partner. Otherwise we're done with you." Lessli turned back to the shuttle and began to walk away. The other collector hesitated, eyeing the Doctor expectantly.

"_Amphibious Sentia_." The Doctor called after him. Lessli stopped, looked back at the Doctor, his dark magenta eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Impossible. We're light-years from Gex space. Even as a stowaway, it's doubtful the thing could get out of the Narin System."

"She's here. She's been feeding off the locals. I can't leave until she's been retrieved."

Lessli studied the Doctor silently then turned back around.

"I don't believe you."

"We have evidence." Amy protested. "Listen, someone else is going to die tonight if you don't help us stop her."

"And what do I get in return?" Lessli asked. "I don't care what happens to you useless Terrans."

"You should care." Rory piped in. "You're Collectors, right? Do your job."

The Doctor looked over at him in surprise. Lessli was standing over him holding him by the throat faster than any of them could react.

"You watch your tongue, little Terran!" He growled menacingly.

"Let him go, Lessli." The Doctor ordered in a warning tone.

"I don't care how weak you'd like to think I am. I know my place." Rory replied in a surprisingly confident whisper that only the two Collectors could make out. Lessli's eyes narrowed. Rory's face didn't show any hint of fear or intimidation. "You should remember yours."

Lessli released his hold on Rory's throat and let him drop to the ground. He growled furiously.

"Sir!" The other Collector exclaimed tensely. Amy quickly helped the coughing Rory, up off the ground, pulling him away from the two Collectors. Lessli looked over at his subordinate. "Perhaps we should see what it is they have to show us. Under the Shadow Proclamation-"

Lessli growled loudly, cutting him off.

"Fine. Thalis, you will investigate. Check back with the results. I will return to the ship to continue our contract."

"Yes sir."

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N:Thank you all for reading this. As some of you may have noticed I finally used some of the characters from the short-stories in this, the main story. I'm quite pleased that I could still manage it as some of the other flashback type material is being scrapped. Perhaps I will find a use for it at some other time but I doubt it. Anyway, I hope you all liked it. Special thanks for this post goes out to Mabudachi-trio for reviewing. I'd love to hear your feedback, you guys. Okay, gotta go.


	43. 20 Minutes After Midnight

**Chapter 6: 20 Minutes Past Midnight**

It didn't take long at all to convince Thalis of the presence of _Amphibious Sentia_. The Doctor quickly and graciously showed him all of the evidence they had, allowing him to do his own investigation as much as possible-except for anything that required letting him anywhere near Koschei.

Presently, Amy and the Doctor were showing Thalis the old shack that housed the creature's unpleasant collection of stolen trinkets. He moved closer to the shelf to inspect the various glistening, mucous-stained artifacts. Amy was keeping watch outside for any sign of company.

"This object seems to stand out from the others." Thalis observed, lifting the last item in the line up for closer inspection. The Doctor tensed when he recognized it, for multiple reasons. It was the Master's laser-screwdriver.

"That one's new." He replied noncommittally.

"This isn't Terran tech. It belongs to the other one, doesn't it?" Thalis said, still studying the item curiously. "I didn't think you'd be the type to allow the use of weapons, especially with the Master's track record."

"I don't." The Doctor added shortly, grabbing the device and quickly pocketing it. Thalis eyed him for a second before straightening and giving him a brisk nod.

"I meant no offence, Doctor."

"Of course not." The Doctor replied, turning to go. "I think that's enough poking about, don't you think? We'd best get on with the chase before we lose our chance." Thalis nodded again but the Doctor turned back around in the doorway to face him. "Ah yes, one other thing: You were right about my opinion of weapons. I want to make this perfectly clear: You will do no harm. No killing. Not while I've got anything to say about it, understood?"

"You were the one who found and encountered the creature. I believe it would be best for me to defer to your judgment on this matter." Thalis agreed. Amy looked between the two aliens. Thalis' vivid-green eyes were boring into the Doctor's hazel. Suddenly the Doctor smiled and reached up to pat the larger man on the shoulder.

"Right! Let's get started." And the Timelord bounded off energetically into the woods. Thalis looked over at Amy, gesturing for her to walk ahead of him with the faintest hint of a smile. She hesitated. _~There's something different about this one. It's like he knows something. He knows us, somehow.~_

"After you, Miss Pond." Thalis prompted, sounding amused. "I won't bite, I promise."

Amy silently acquiesced to his request, glancing suspiciously at his holstered plasma-blaster and the retractable blades rigged to his forearms.

"It's not a bite that I'm worried about." She informed him. Thalis smiled.

"Yes. I've heard what your madman did to Elim." Amy looked back at him just in time to see him pull a face. "Don't worry. You're not the target. I've no reason to harm you." Amy resumed following the Doctor. She didn't know how he'd managed it, but he already seemed to have picked up the creature's trail. Thalis continued, undaunted by her silence.

"You do seem to keep interesting company."

"He's not as bad as you think."

"Really?" Thalis responded sounding skeptical.

"Yes, really. The Master's a bit… imposing, but the other two are good people. Koschei's actually rather sweet."

"You're _actually_ going to defend a murderous madman on the merit of his alternate personalities?" Thalis asked, sounding stern, but he was smiling again, so she wasn't sure how to take it.

"Not at all, Koschei's the real one." There was an odd rushing sound up ahead. They both turned to look, but there was nothing there. Amy's brow furrowed and she took a step forward to investigate, but Thalis grabbed her arm. He shook his head, now completely serious.

"It's here. Stay close." He told her quietly. They looked around for any sign of the creature.

"Thalis?" Amy whispered tensely.

"Yes?"

"Where's the Doctor gone?"

* * *

><p>Koschei ran through the massive stone corridor with Dream-Amy close on his heels. The loud echoes created by their footfalls on the deep red granite, reverberated endlessly through the ivory-colored palace walls around them. It was a grander structure than anything one would ever see on Earth. This was the great Maihajan Palace. All the great leaders of the planet's government resided here most of the year, at the least. The building was like a great marble and metal indoor city in the center of the capitol.<p>

"Koschei?" Dream-Amy asked apprehensively. The swarm of nasty little creatures was just coming into view at the end of the corridor behind them, blocking out one gigantic marble pillar after another.

"Yes, Love?" Koschei responded breathlessly. He was a little envious that for some reason, his companion seemed to be incapable of getting winded.

"Do you know where we're going, exactly?" She questioned. He raised an eyebrow at her, wondering why it mattered to her.

"Yes. Problem?"

"I am wearing a ball-gown." She responded.

"So you are." Koschei admitted and led her quickly round a corner, running flat-out until they reached the ornate double doors at the end of the corridor.

"Wait, this looks like…" Dream-Amy realized, trailing off in thought.

"It isn't." Koschei informed her, unlocking the door with his unrealistically handy, signet-ring. In reality he'd lost it years ago, when his Saxon incarnation was shot and killed. "Same palace, different room."

Dream-Amy looked behind them and grabbed his arm, with a worried expression. The swarm was getting closer.

"Koschei…" She warned. Koschei just smiled and pushed open the double doors.

"Welcome, Amy Pond, to the hall of the Stilkean." He said grandly, letting her push past him before he shoved the doors behind him shut and sealed them by pressing hand to the touch-pad that was melded seamlessly into the pillar on his right.

"The Stilkean… I've heard that word before." Dream-Amy mused as she looked around at the vast, many-leveled, chamber around them. "What does that mean?"

"Well, I don't believe there's an accurate parallel in your culture." Koschei explained, walking over to where she had stopped now, to lean against the railing and look down at the training level below. "We were a type of specialized soldier, trained from an early age to be the best at our specific function. A bit of a mix between a military intelligence service and a clan of assassins. We outranked the other military classes, answering directly to the Lord President and the Chamber of Timelords, in that order."

"You were an assassin?"

"Sometimes." Koschei confirmed with a shrug. "Most of the time I handled the intrigue and black ops. Assassination was usually left to my subordinates." Dream-Amy's eyebrows rose as she looked at him. "Stilkean Master Koschei Xia'en at your service."

Koschei informed her with a little mock-bow. When he came back up, he was wearing the dark, blue-black and violet silk robes of his station. He touched the fabric of his arm thoughtfully.

"The Gallifreyan military dressed a bit fancy, didn't they?" Dream-Amy remarked with a not-quite-convincing smile.

"As I told you: we were the elite. Didn't wear this for the field work." Koschei looked up at her, his expression growing darker. "I'm trapped in my mind again, aren't I?"

Amy's smile fell.

"It doesn't have to be permanent." She assured him stubbornly, but he could see the hint of loss in her dark eyes. "You can still fight your way back." Koschei shook his head. "Koschei, no. Don't give up."

"I can't—"

"Koschei… It isn't over yet. Trust me, you can do this! You just have to hold on!"

"I'm sorry." Koschei said, taking a step back. "You're not real."

Dream-Amy looked at him sadly, reaching out for his hand for a moment before she began to glow with bright, white-light.

"I have to stop running." Koschei told her as he heard the same awful scratching on the double doors. He took a deep breath. Dream-Amy vanished in a flash of light. "Goodbye." Koschei whispered. He closed his eyes before the doors behind him blew apart and the swarm engulfed him.

* * *

><p>"It's hiding here, somewhere above us. I can hear it." Thalis said sniffing the air.<p>

"I don't hear—"

"Of course not. Shh!"

Amy glared at him, but stayed silent, watching the trees around them. She wandered a little farther away, stopping to look down when she stepped on something long and metallic. It was the Doctor's screwdriver. She picked it up, making an ick-face when the slimy-mucous trailed from the sonic to the leaves under it. She carefully wiped it off on a nearby bush. Something thick and shiny dripped down onto her shoulder. She stiffened, slowly looking down to see the mucous running down the side of her favorite jacket.

"Ugh!" Amy exclaimed, quickly darting forward and peeling the jacket off in the same movement. Thalis turned to look at her. "It's up there!" She explained, pointing up at the tree she'd been standing under. "Oooh, that was so disgusting! I really liked that jacket."

Thalis rolled his eyes at her and shot at the creature when it lunged towards them. It promptly changed course and slithered up into another tree. Amy looked up at the Doctor's unconscious form, draped limply over a branch above her.

"Stay." Thalis ordered, before darting after the creature.

"I'm not a dog you know!" Amy shouted after his retreating back. He grunted disinterestedly in reply, fully focused on his prey. Amy sighed, looking up at the Doctor on his branch, placing her hands on her hips.

"Well that's just lovely. I'll just fly up and bring you back now, shall I?" Rory's phone chimed. He'd shoved it into her jacket pocket as she'd left, wanting to keep track of her while the Collectors were hanging around. "No…Right, I'll just reach in very carefully…" Amy muttered to herself, poking at the jacket gingerly with a twig until the pocket was revealed. "Just two fingers… like…Oh. Ew!…Why?...Ha! Got it!" She pulled the mobile out of the offending jacket pocket and checked the messages, throwing her twig away over her shoulder and then flinching when it angered a nearby owl. "Sorry."

There was a new text from…TARDIS? Amy considered that bit of news, then shrugged. Why couldn't the TARDIS send a text?

_Remember the time. Remember his words._

"What?" Amy muttered. _~Does it mean… The Redheaded Man!~ _She checked the time on the mobile. Five minutes past midnight. She didn't have long. She looked up at the Doctor, stopping briefly to set the alarm on her wristwatch. "Um, okay. Now, let's see if I can get you down from there."

* * *

><p>Back in the TARDIS, Rory hurried up the stairs and burst into the room as the various alarms on the equipment monitoring Koschei's vitals all went off. Rory hurried over and studied the readouts.<p>

"Oh, um, shit!" He said busying himself with the offending devices. "What the hell are you doing? Your vitals are all over the place!" He demanded of the unconscious Timelord lying innocently in the bed. "Okay, just a moment!" He fussed with the machines a little more. "And… Yes! Thank you! I absolutely hated that sound." Rory remarked as the machines fell silent. He looked back down at Koschei's pale form. "You'd better not be dying." He stated simply and then went back to trying to figure out what had caused those strange and alarming readings.

After three separate, bruisingly unsuccessful tries, Amy finally managed to get the Doctor down from his branch. Unfortunatly she slipped on her way down and fell to land flat on her back on the ground. The combination of the fall and the Doctor's unconscious torso landing directly on her chest knocked the wind out of her and she was left gasping helplessly for air. She heard the snap of a large something stepping on her discarded twig. She couldn't get up let alone run away. She couldn't even get any air yet. Her arm flopped weakly as she tried to find something to defend herself with until her hand fell in front of her face and she saw the way it glistened in the moonlight. _~Oh, no. I've been infected.~_ A large dark shape came into view as her vision began to blur. There was light spreading through the edges of her vision. Her heart raced as the dark shape came closer. The light got brighter until it hurt.

"Remember. It isn't real. It isn't real." Amy chanted under her breath. Her heart was hammering rapidly in her chest. "It isn't-" There was a high-pitched beeping that pierced through the haze created by the alien toxin… the alarm on her watch. She took a deep breath. The light was spreading now, getting impossibly brighter. ~_Remember the time._~ She thought, remembering the Redheaded Man's strange warning. She closed her eyes. The creature pounced.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N:Dun, dun, DUNNN. Okay sorry guys I seem to be in a cliffie mood lately. I know it's not fair. Also, more backstory! Yay! This thing just kept getting longer and longer doesn't it? I don't know why I'm quite impatient to get to the next episode/adventure but for some reason this one just stretched...Anyway, Thanks for reading. Special thanks to my dear Mabudachi-trio for reviewing. Any feedback is welcome, as always. I love hearing from you guys.


	44. Beyond Darkness

**Female of the Species; Chapter 7: Beyond Darkness**

Tiny claws and teeth scratching at his sensitive skin…or was it scalpels and needles that pierced his tender flesh? Horrible little creatures, eating away at his body, draining his life away… or perhaps they were the hands of surgeons, his own people, cutting into him with purpose, stealing his mind and scarring his soul with invisible yet permanent marks.

He couldn't fight them all off. He was surrounded, blinded and trapped by the mass of bodies all around him. Soon, he would be lost again, dead…Again?

_~Wait a minute.~_

* * *

><p>Koschei's bright golden eyes snapped open. He sat up straight in his familiar bedroom inside the TARDIS, hearing the rapid beeping of the heart monitor that the Doctor must've dragged in here and hooked him up to at some point.<p>

"Koschei! You're awake!" Rory exclaimed, then moved to sit on the mattress next to him, looking nervous again. "Oh, um, well…You should relax. You're um, you're safe here."

"Hands off, Eeyore." Koschei told him shortly, and he pulled his hand away, letting out a relieved breath.

"Oh good. You're fine." Rory smiled, and his arms twitched upward subtly.

"No hugs." Koschei declared with finality. Rory nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Mhhmn. Um, Eeyore?"

"Yes Cerberus?"

"Wh—Ah, I see what you did there." Koschei said with a smirk. Rory grinned. "Where are the Doctor and Amy?"

* * *

><p>Amy kept her eyes squeezed shut.<em> ~You're going to be fine. You're only hallucinating. You're drugged—but you'll be fine. Just try to keep your eyes shut.~ <em>She could hear the creature coming closer_. ~Oh, wouldn't this be a horrible way to die? No! Stop it, Amy! You're safe, you're safe, you are safe! Good Lord, am I on fire? SAFE!~ _She heard a soft thump from somewhere close by.

"Ow! Damnit! Oh, well that's just…" A familiar deep, baritone voice muttered indignantly. "Where am I now? Trees, lots of moss—so much moss, ridiculously humid, familiar-"

_Amphibious Sentia_ let out an irritated sounding shriek/roar, cutting him off. She apparently was none too fond of being overlooked.

"Ah." The Redheaded Man concluded "Here I am." There was a rustling of fabric. "And now, I do…this."

There was a soft metallic click, followed by a much louder and more dangerous-sounding, other worldly whistle that built, in perfect synchronization with a too-bright flash of red light. _Amphibious Sentia_ let out a terrible, prolonged whine and fell to the ground with a heavy thud. Amy felt a hand on her shoulder. She moved to look.

"Ah, ah! Not just yet, Love. Count to ten first and you're home free." The Redheaded Man told her she relaxed, lying back down with her eyes still closed. He gave her shoulder a soft pat. "Good girl." Then she heard him running off, apparently heading after Thalis. Amy took a deep breath and slowly counted to ten.

When she finished and opened her eyes the Doctor was beginning to stir. Her limbs felt like they were made out of impossibly heavy rubber but at least, she could breathe again. Her head felt like it had been through the wash.

_Amphibious Sentia_ let out a whiny hiss of complaint. Her sides seemed to be fizzing. The ground around them began to shake, then it began to smoke. Cracks appeared like a giant web, spreading out across the ground towards them, big, glowing-white cracks. Amy's breathing became harsh and uneven. She knew those cracks.

"No…" She moaned as the cracks stretched closer. On the edge of her awareness, she heard someone walking up behind her. "No, It can't be! Not them…"

"What are you on about?" Thalis asked, kneeling down beside her.

"Not again. We'll be erased… I can't let it happen." Amy continued, too caught up in her panic. Thalis noticed her glistening hand.

"Oh. That's it." He concluded and checked her pulse. "Hmmm."

"We have to run! No we've seen them. It's too late…" Amy continued deliriously. Thalis calmly adjusted the setting on his pulse-blaster.

"Sorry, Pond." He said and shot her, then blew out a sigh, eyeing the alien huntress a couple meters away. He activated his comm.

"Thalis?" Came Lessli's ever impatient sounding voice over the comm. link.

"Yes sir. I've got the Target. I'm tagging it now. It's subdued for the moment but I suggest that a containment field be erected once the creature's aboard for caution's sake. She turned out to be a tricky one."

"Your suggestion is duly noted. Anything else you'd like to mention Thalis?" Lessli replied boredly. Thalis finished placing the markers and looked back down at Amy's unconscious form. The Doctor blinked blearily up at him, still unable to move. "Thalis?"

"No sir, nothing of interest." Thalis lied.

"Hmm, shame." His commander responded. "Oh well, Elim will meet you at the landing site in fifteen minutes. Be prompt."

"Of course." Thalis agreed and shut off the comms, watching Amphibious Sentia vanish in the light of the transmat.

* * *

><p>When Amy awoke, she was lying in her bedroom in the TARDIS, bundled up in her warm blue and green comforter. She could hear someone moving around near the foot of her bed. Curious, she pushed her self up into a seated position to take a look.<p>

"Oi! Koschei!" She shouted, flinching as the volume aggravated her splitting headache. The albino-alien was poking interestedly through her wardrobe. She snapped her fingers and pointed away from the mess he was making. "Get out of there!"

"I'm Jyun." He corrected serenely. "Don't yell. You'll make your head hurt."

He pulled out a purple hoodie that she apparently hadn't hidden well enough. ~Honestly, he's like a toddler.~ "This is a bit big for you." He held it up and shrugged. "It's a nice color. Why haven't you worn it?"

"It isn't mine." Jyun raised one delicate eyebrow. "It doesn't smell like Rory."

Rory froze in the doorway then sniffed himself experimentally.

"What?"

Amy rolled her eyes then shot Jyun a disapproving look.

"Jyun, that's creepy. You shouldn't sniff people."

"I don't. I just _smell_ you." Jyun clarified, missing the point entirely. Rory gestured at him.

"Like that. Don't say things like that. It makes you sound…" Jyun's big, lamp-like golden eyes settled innocently on Rory's. "…weird."

There was an odd splash from downstairs that drew all their attention briefly.

"Fine. Don't care." Jyun dismissed, plopping down on the foot of the bed. Rory shut the wardrobe glancing questioningly over at Amy.

"I don't know. I woke up and he was just in there!" She told him helplessly. Rory crossed his arms scowling (as much as he was capable) down at the misbehaving Timelord.

"I was bored. The Doctor was being annoying, so…" Jyun shrugged.

"It's yours." Amy announced. Both men turned to look at her.

"What?" They asked in unison.

"I picked it up when we visited New York in the nineties. I was saving it for a special occasion." Amy explained. "So, there you are, Jyun. Enjoy your jumper."

Rory looked a bit put out. Amy sighed again.

"Yours is in the box at the bottom. Now, Jyun, go downstairs and deal with the Doctor. Mummy needs her beauty rest."

Jyun folded the hoodie carefully. Amy lay back down, trying to get back to sleep as he left, pausing just briefly in the doorway.

"It made more sense when we were siblings."

Amy's eyes snapped open and she rolled over to look at him, but he was already gone.

* * *

><p>"Are you finished being emotional?" Jyun inquired, coming down the stairs to sit at the edge of the pool where the Doctor was doing laps.<p>

"It was _one hug_, Jyun. No need to be so dramatic." The Doctor replied.

"Your swim trunks are atrocious." Jyun informed him emotionlessly noting how terribly they clashed with the warm golds and deep burgundy reds of the pool chamber. The Doctor splashed him. "Where are those sweets I stole yesterday?"

"I stole them back. They're in the cupboard." The Doctor replied, swimming over to the edge as Jyun began to get up and leave. "wait." He grabbed Jyun's ankle.

"Don't do that."

"I found your laser."

"…"

"Why did you make a new one?"

"I don't know. I must have needed it. You have it now. I don't see a problem."

"The problem is that I need to know that I can trust you."

"You don't trust me. This conversation is pointless. If you care to consider it, do so. I'm going to have something to eat." Jyun informed him, his gaze a tad icier than usual. "Enjoy your swim."

Barely a minute later, the Doctor got out of the pool, puzzling over what he'd gotten wrong. He shook his head trying to shake the dark thoughts from his mind to fly away along with the diamond-like droplets of pool-water, and went to join his old friend for tea.

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Okay so here it is: the end of th episode and the resolution of the cliff-hanger. For the sake of decency I dedicate this chapter to RoaringFall and Mabudachi-trio my dear, patient reviewers. Thank you all for reading this and for putting up with my use of cliffies. I am quite excited to start the next episode, although I am unsure at the moment when I'll be able to post it so yeah... fingers crossed. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this. Please review.


	45. In Which Teatime is Ruined

**Nocturne**

Disclaimer: I don't own Doctor Who.

"_When you consider that teleportation, telepathy, telekinesis were once considered to not even exist, because- listen to this, because it did not fit into any known model of physics. So how could it exist? And since no one believed it existed, even though it was right under their noses, it simply did not exist. So they did not know they could do it. Listen, I know you're not going to believe this, but the stuff you call physics. You used to call it magic." –The Android 'Angel-Lips', __Ruby the Galactic Gumshoe_

Chapter One: In Which Teatime is Ruined

The Doctor, Amy and Rory were all sitting at the glass-topped metal table, having tea. The Master was poking through the contents of the TARDIS' kitchen, trying to decide what he wanted to eat. They could hear him mumbling to himself snobbishly about the unsatisfactory food selection, but chose to follow the Doctor's lead and ignore him.

"What is this and why is it blue?" He demanded as one pale hand popped up above the counter to present them with an alarmingly blue… something. It appeared to be either meat, or cake, but neither of the humans was sure enough which it was to hazard a guess. They looked at the Doctor expectantly.

"It's borum meat." The Doctor announced, after barely a glance at it, and took a leisurely sip of his tea. The hand disappeared from view. There was a pause, and then two bright-ochre eyes came into view just above the counter to scowl disgustedly at the Doctor.

"It is meant to be orange." The Master snapped, annunciating every word carefully and imbuing it with lethal venom. Amy and Rory looked at the Doctor, who was still casually sipping his tea as if they were discussing the weather.

"I expect it was, when I put it in there." He replied easily.

"You are disgusting." The Master pronounced, vanishing from view once again. They heard a thump that must've been him disposing of the heinous item, followed by a more suspicious shattering sound.

"Master, what did you just break?" Amy asked sternly.

"Something vile that had no right to exist in my presence."

"I _like_ twice-pickled cod!" The Doctor protested as the smell reached them, and both humans covered their faces in an attempt to save themselves. A graceful, white hand came back into view just long enough to flash him a very rude gesture and then disappeared to resume smashing things.

"Master!" The Doctor scolded, jumping up and hurrying into the kitchen to stop him. He grabbed the smaller Timelord under the arms and pulled him away from the shelf that he was attacking.

"I'm bored and I no longer trust your food." The Master told him, squirming in his grip. "Let's go somewhere." The Doctor frowned down at him.

"What is wrong with you? You've been acting more… awful since we left Louisiana." The Doctor observed.

"If I answer truthfully, do I get to pick where we go?" The Doctor narrowed his eyes.

"No."

"Then it must just be a phase." The Master quipped, slipping out of the Doctor's grip and fleeing the kitchen. There was a muted crashing sound a few minutes later and Rory put down his tea and got up.

"I'll handle this one." He offered long-sufferingly, leaving the kitchen in a resigned manner.

"I don't know what's gotten into him lately." The Doctor said, beginning to push the broken glass and ruined fish into a pile with his foot. "Scheming, I could understand, but this- there's no clear point to any of his behavior. He's just… lashing out."

Amy handed the Doctor a rag, considering what he'd said before leaving abruptly without so much as a word.

"Amy?" The Doctor questioned, turning around just in time to see her disappearing out the door. "Where are you going? Well, that's fine then. If you all insist on acting strange…well, then you can just go ahead!" He frowned. "That sentence got away from me, didn't it? We need a break. Some relaxation… Not Rio, that's boring. I know!"

* * *

><p>Amy ran into her room and looked around. She snatched a notebook off the shelf and a pen off her bedside table and brought them downstairs with her to the control room. She shuffled around in one of the little cubby-like openings in the bottom of the drive pillar until she found what she was looking for: the sleek little recording device that Jyun had used to steal footage from the Vegas II security network. She sat down at one of the TARDIS' many view screens and plugged the device in just as she'd seen the Doctor do a few times since they'd retrieved it.<p>

She just _knew_ the Master's strange behavior had something to do with the mysterious Redheaded Man in this recording. She just didn't know why. Koschei had seemed so disturbed by whatever it was he'd seen back at the scene of the last tesseracts. That was when his strange behavior truly began. It had simply been too subtle for them to catch on at first. She studied the footage, hoping to see some hint of what was going on. She still had this strong feeling that she knew this man. It wasn't even the feeling that she might've seen him before. She knew him. So why couldn't she remember him at all? If she could remember, maybe she'd figure it out.

The Doctor came down a while later, right when she was shutting the recording off.

"So where to next, Doctor?" She asked pleasantly. ~_I hope it'll be somewhere nice and calm for a change. Probably not but it can't hurt to hope.~_

"Oh, I think you'll like this one. It's beautiful this time of year." The Doctor replied, bustling around the controls, making adjustments. "A good place to relax. Very hospitable. There are even some very nice shops and restaurants… Oh, we should go during the spring it's far nicer then."

The others came down the stairs to join them.

"Hey Jyun." Amy greeted, noticing his characteristically stoic demeanor.

"Hi." Jyun replied, watching the Doctor reach for the line of levers to his right. "The blue one Theta. Has he mentioned where we're going?"

"Not really. It's very nice though. He mentioned that much. Beautiful in the spring." Amy reported. Jyun toyed with his cap.

"How informative."

"So where are we going then?" Amy asked again.

"Patience you lot. We're almost…" The Doctor said as the TARDIS landed. "There." He hurried down to the doors. "Lady and Gentlemen, welcome to Base Octavia." He threw the doors open to reveal the amazingly ornate, glass domed city outside. The shining silvery metal railings were cast to look like intricately-patterned, woven vines, twisting into smaller and smaller, impossibly intricate patterns. The floor was a colorful mosaic of red and purple and gold stone and the dome above opened up into a beautiful night sky. Most of the people bustling about inside the dome were tall, gracefully built, humanoid aliens with pointed ears and a monochromatic, black and white complexion but they all wore colorful jumpsuits that complemented the colors of the building.

"It looks like most of these people live here… Where is here?" Rory inquired watching the flow of people through the complex around them.

"The third moon of the planet Netrhea Minor." Jyun informed him. "It's an ice moon. I'm going to get my jacket."

Then he vanished up the stairs in blur of purple and black.

"Terran explorers first began building this base as a potential colony in the year 4989 but the Nethrie took over the project less than halfway through. They make up about forty percent of the yearly population. Terrans make up about twenty percent." The Doctor explained cheerfully. "Wonderful people, the Nethrie."

"Thank you." Said a raven-haired, Nethrie woman in a scarlet jumpsuit, flashing him a winning smile. The Doctor winked at her.

"They are some of the friendliest people in the Mutter's Spiral." He continued. Jyun tossed Amy a soft, white fur coat and nailed Rory in the back of the head with his big red parka as he rejoined them.

"Ooh! Thanks Jyun." Amy said politely, shrugging on her coat. Rory glared at him.

"Very subtle, Jyun.' He remarked sarcastically.

"Thank you." Jyun replied, following the Doctor out. "Your jacket." He prompted and the Doctor turned back, grabbing the long grey coat that Jyun was patiently holding, then left the TARDIS again. Jyun dashed past him as one of the many restaurants caught his interest.

"Netrhean curry." He stated. As subtle as it was it was, clear to the others that he was excited. He turned back to look expectantly at the Doctor and Amy. "It's delicious." He assured Amy before addressing the Doctor. "Money."

"Screwdriver." The Doctor responded calmly, holding out his hand. Jyun stilled for a moment, before giving in and handing back the Doctor's sonic.

"Jyun!" Amy scolded. Jyun shrugged.

"Here." The Doctor said, handing Amy a charge card. "This'll cover everything." Amy took it and followed Jyun into the Netrhean restaurant. Rory made to follow but the Doctor stopped him with a touch on his arm.

"What is it?" Rory inquired quietly.

"Look after them for a while please Rory. Try not to wander too far away from the TARDIS." The Doctor responded equally quietly.

"Trouble?"

"I'm not sure yet. Something feels off. I don't know why Jyun hasn't felt it, but there's something... strange on the air. It's almost like everything is vibrating." The Doctor explained. Rory paused for a moment to see if he could feel it.

"Sorry. I don't feel anything unusual."

"It's too high frequency for a human to notice."

"Right. That makes sense."

"Just keep the others out of trouble for a while so I can investigate."

"Sure thing… Oh, well I should go. Looks like Jyun's beginning to disturb the waitress. I should-Yeah." Rory hurried into the restaurant to help Amy diffuse the situation. The Doctor clapped his hands, rubbing them together as he surveyed his surroundings, deciding where to check first for any clues as to what was causing the strange vibrations. His brow furrowed in surprised disbelief as he caught sight of a young girl who certainly did not belong here weaving silently through the crowd.

"No…" He thought aloud as the petite young woman sporting an assortment of long auburn braids, sped her pace, heading for one of the open residential sectors, her deep green and violet Gallifreyan robes billowing around her in the slight breeze. He followed after her and she continued to speed her pace, almost at a run. She stumbled as her whole form flickered and fell to the ground. Before he could reach her, though, she had already gotten back up and started to run flat out into one of the habitation corridors.

"Wait!" The Doctor called chasing after her. He turned into the corridor just intime to see her run straight through the wall at the far end vanishing from view like a ghost. _~Maybe she was a ghost. No there's no such thing as ghosts.~_ "Mita?" He muttered breathlessly. "There's definitely something strange happening here. Very strange indeed."

* * *

><p>"Honestly, I don't see what the problem is." Rory said looking mildly confused.<p>

"My arm bumped hers. She called me a xinthu." Jyun recited with bored detachment. "I found it a tad insulting."

"What's a zi- What is that exactly." Rory inquired.

"What he is." The waitress replied coolly.

"I'm guessing it's something nasty knowing Jyun's temperament." Amy remarked tightly. "Look he just bumped your arm, okay? Can't we just get past this? I was looking forward to my curry."

Jyun shrugged, sitting down across from Amy in the booth she'd chosen.

"I'm past it."

"I'm not serving _him_." The waitress declared haughtily, flicking her blue black hair back out of her pale face.

"Um why?" Rory inquired.

"She's racist." Jyun stated studying his menu. "Forget her. Sit."

"Okay?" Rory agreed awkwardly slipping into the booth beside Amy as the snobby waitress stormed off.

"Racist?" Amy queried.

"There are two Netrhean races." Jyun informed them distractedly as he considered his curry choices. "The Rhea, look like her: pale silver complexion black or dark gray hair and darkly colored eyes. The Grays are the minority. They tend to look more like me. She called me a racial slur used in reference to them when I annoyed her. Do you know your order?"

"Wh- Um…" Amy looked at her menu speculatively. "I'm not sure. I've never eaten alien curry before."

"Our waitress is coming. Pick something." Jyun ordered as a friendly-looking Nefrie woman with long, black curls tied back with a pretty blue-silk ribbon walked up to their booth.

"Hello and welcome to Emlin Volta. I apologize for my colleague. She can be simple minded at times."

"No problem." Jyun told her.

"Much thanks." She replied with a bow of her head. She glanced over at Amy and Rory. "Would you like to order? Or should I return in a moment or two?"

"No, we're ready." Amy replied.

"We'd like to share an order of Bao-Ni, please." Rory ordered for them. The waitress twitched her head to the side in acknowledgement, typing it into her comp, pad.

"An order of Sri for me please." Jyun added spotting the Doctor coming towards them. "…and…a…bottle of sweet brew-oof!" He paused a second to shoot 'look #7: Displeased Jyun' at the Doctor for plopping down in the booth so carelessly. "…for the table."

"Thank you." The Doctor finished for him. The waitress did another little head bow and left.

"We're not leaving without eating." Jyun declared preemptively.

"Fine." The Doctor agreed, still grinning manically in excitement.

"You found something." Rory observed. The Doctor nodded.

"What happened?" Amy asked.

"I've just seen a ghost." The Doctor proclaimed enthusiastically.

"A ghost really? Here?" Amy asked catching some of his excitement. "A real, live ghost?"

"Ghosts don't exist." Jyun reminded them, seemingly unaffected.

"How do you know?" Rory challenged. Jyun's bright golden eyes trained on his condescendingly.

"Experience."

"Well, so it probably wasn't a true ghost…Okay, it definitely wasn't, but it's still something." The Doctor pointed out. "And we will discover that something. It'll be an adventure."

Jyun's interest was finally piqued by the Doctor's specificity.

"You said it definitely wasn't."

"Yes."

"Who was it?" Jyun inquired staring very attentively at the Doctor. The Doctor sobered at the memory of that all-too-familiar young woman that he'd watched disappear into the wall, and of the real young woman she'd obviously been modeled on.

"You don't want to know." He replied somberly, excitement gone.

"Yes I do. That's why I asked."

"Jyun…"

"Who was it?" Jyun insisted as the waitress returned with their food. The Doctor fidgeted uncomfortably, looking down at the table, then at the waitress, then back at Jyun.

"Doctor?" Amy questioned.

"It was Mita." The Doctor said quietly. Jyun stiffened blinking rapidly, then sprang back into motion.

"Move." He ordered nudging the Doctor out of his way then jumped up, fleeing the restaurant.

"Jyun!" The Doctor called after him pointlessly. "Great. I knew I shouldn't have told him yet.""

"What was that all about?" Rory asked.

"Doctor?" Amy inquired carefully. "Who's- Who was Mita? Why would seeing her upset him so much." The Doctor looked at her sadly. "Mita was our daughter."

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: So here it is. Sorry it took me so long to post this. The next one will probably be more prompt. I'm already working on it. It's just hard to be sure when I'll get the chance to type it up. Anyway, thanks for being patient with me. Special thanks to Roaringfall for reviewing and for being lovely in general, and to Time Traveling Animagus, another awesome person who deined to review. Crap! My sessions running out! Gotta go. As always please review.


	46. The Great Combined Function

CHAPTER 2: The Great Combined Function

"Jyun?" Amy called, climbing the stairs that led up to the TARDIS' sleeping quarters. "Jyun, are you up here?" She found him sitting in his room on the shelf that faced his haphazard, wall-collage, toying with a shiny, metal throwing dart as he stared blankly ahead. Amy leaned against the doorframe and caught her breath. "There you are! We've been looking for you everywhere."

"_He_ hasn't." Jyun amended stoically. Amy looked from Jyun to the wall collage and back again, noticing the way that he was staring at it so intently.

"No. The Doctor's off searching for clues. That doesn't mean that he doesn't care." Amy pointed out, moving to stand beside him.

"No. It doesn't." Jyun agreed, still spinning the dart in his fingers meditatively as he studied his wall-collage. "You want to discuss feelings." He stated distractedly. Amy sighed.

"You never mentioned that you had a daughter."

"I don't. She's dead. They all are."

"Listen, Jyun, if you—" Amy began, but stopped short as his arm suddenly whipped out flinging the dart he'd been twirling, with precision and skill into one of the pictures he'd pinned to his wall… with Rory's pocket knife. _~So __**that's**__ where that went.~_ The light's around them flickered irritably in complaint, but Jyun just ignored them. Amy walked over and took the picture down. It took a little more strength than she'd expected. The dart was quite deeply embedded in the wall. He had speared the still of the Redheaded Man right in the face. Amy turned back to look questioningly at Jyun. "Something else you'd like to talk about?"

"…"

"You've all been behaving oddly ever since Louisiana." Amy said, holding up the mutilated screen-still. "He's got something to do with it, hasn't he?" Jyun watched her with an unreadable expression, tilting his head to the side slightly, reminding her of Koschei.

"Yes. He does." He stated simply, then blinked slowly, beginning to slump to one side as they heard the door to the TARDIS open and close. Amy's brow furrowed as she noticed his breath changing into the familiar unnatural pattern.

"Jyun?" She muttered quietly. "Jyun, wait."

"Hello? Amy? Jyun? Are you in here?" Rory called from downstairs.

"Yes. We're upstairs. We'll be down in a moment." Amy called back, then turned back just in time to meet the pair of amber eyes as they blinked open, looking up to regard her.

"You appear to be expecting something from me Miss Pond. Whatever could that be?"

"Tell me, Master." Amy replied holding up the picture of the Redheaded Man. "What is it about this man that disturbs you all so much?" The Master smiled up at her coldly.

"Do I seem disturbed to you?"

"What did you see? Back in Louisiana, you noticed something about him, something you've been trying to hide." Amy persisted. The Master got up and pushed past her, heading for the door. "Master, what did you see?" The Master stopped in the doorway, pausing a moment before he glanced back over his shoulder finally to answer her.

"I saw my death." He answered calmly and then continued on his way down to the control room.

* * *

><p>"Any clues?" The Master asked dryly as the Doctor joined them inside the TARDIS.<p>

"I've learned some interesting things." The Doctor responded easily. "And some not interesting things, but that's beside the point, isn't it. It appears they've been having some reality problems here for almost a month now."

"Reality problems?" Rory echoed questioningly. Amy shrugged.

"What sort of problems?" The Master queried ignoring the humans as usual. "Mirages, skewed perception, or…"

"Telepathic matter conversion." The Doctor finished looking excited. The Master took his hat off and rubbed a hand through his pale mess of hair before pointing at the Doctor and saying simply.

"No."

"Wh—Master, we are handling this." The Doctor argued. The Master shook his head quickly, still as stone-faced as either Amy or Rory had ever seen him.

"No."

"What do you mean 'No'?" The Doctor argued indignantly. "You can't just say—"

"No!" The Master snapped, glaring at the other Timelord. "Telepathic matter conversion is a calling card. There is only one people we have ever encountered besides us that uses that kind of tech and I am not diving merrily into there little trap!"

"I know the Function as well as you do Master. We still need to—"

"No!"

"Stop doing that!"

"NO!"

"Alright! That's enough!" Amy cut in sharply, staring both aliens down like a scolding mother. The Master crossed his arms petulantly, leaning back against the railing as he shot burning glares at the Doctor. The Doctor straightened, resting a hand on the console in front of him and looking expectantly at Amy. Amy watched them both for a second to be certain they wouldn't start up again before she spoke again. "Now, would one of you please explain what we're dealing with here?" Both Timelords began to speak at once. Rory face palmed. Amy flinched. "One! Just _one_ of you!" She reminded them tightly. The Master made a grand sarcastic gesture to the Doctor.

"Thank you, Master." The Doctor began politely, causing the Master to roll his eyes at him. "The Great Combined Function, called The Function for short, are a society of artificial life forms that formed out in deep-space about two thousand years before the beginning of the Great Time War. Our people had a fairly simple agreement with theirs. We didn't bother them and they didn't bother us. It worked out fine as our interests didn't really overlap very much at all. They tend not to be interested in organic life forms. They usually remain out in the black, only occasionally using bio-mechanical replicas called Biosynth to blend in with other cultures and gather information, or a type of Telepathic Matter Converters called Enigma Machines to capture and eliminate threats but those are extremely rare occurrences."

"It's happening now." The Master growled. "It's obvious they're targeting one of us. They'd have no other reason to simulate a Gallifreyan, let alone one that we both knew personally. It's obvious we're the perceived threat. We should leave here now before they close the net."

"That isn't necessarily true. It could have simply been the processor sifting through the newly arrived consciousnesses." The Doctor argued. Then stopped, considering what he'd just said. "Is that what it is? You know, you don't use the plural very often. Sounds a bit strange. Consciousness? Consciousnesses? Conscious—"

"Okay!" Amy interrupted. "So either way, it sounds like we have a limited time here. If they are after one of you, how long do we have to get out of here?"

"Now would be best." The Master said darkly.

"It's difficult to say." The Doctor answered ignoring him. "It depends on how much energy they were willing to expend, really. Without knowing more about the device they're using I can't say."

"Others have targeted the Master before." Rory put in, gaining himself a look of mild approval from the Master.

"But how would they know we were coming?" Amy pointed out. "We are using a time-machine after all, and _we_ didn't even know we were coming here." Rory shrugged his ignorance.

"So if this is The Function we're dealing with, how do we stop them?" He asked the Doctor.

"No idea." The Doctor replied. The Master pushed away from the banister angrily.

"Well since, as usual, none of you are going to listen to me." He announced, straightening his hat. "I am staying out of this one. If anyone feels the need to talk at me, please avoid my room." And with that, he stomped up the stairs to go lock himself in his bedroom.

* * *

><p>"Hello again." The nice waitress from before greeted Amy, tossing her rag back over her shoulder onto the counter as she finished wiping down the bar. "Are you here for dinner as well, or was there something else that you require?"<p>

"Actually I was wondering if you knew anything about the strange occurrences that have been happening here at Base Octavia." Amy informed her, taking a seat on the nearest barstool. "Strange sights, maybe? Impossible occurrences… people appearing that couldn't possibly be here and then randomly disappearing?"

"You mean the waking dreams." The waitress concluded, nodding. "Of course. They're everywhere. We used to have many more customers here at dinner-rush, but people are becoming more and more cautious as events become more… dramatic. It is always worst at midnight. We all try to be safe in our quarters by that hour. People have begun to call it the dead man's shift." Amy leaned against the bar considering the new information. "Is that why you and the Doctor have come here? To save us from these illusions?" Amy looked up at her surprised. She was speechless for a moment, seeing such hope in the other woman's dark blue eyes.

"We're going to try." She promised. The other woman smiled and relaxed slightly, looking relieved by her assurance. "I never caught your name. I'm Amy, Amy Pond."

"My name is Aya." The waitress told her, shaking her hand. "It is very good to meet you Amy Pond. Oh, here: would you like a drink or a sweet-treat maybe? On the house."

"Oh, no, I couldn't." Amy said shaking her head. The waitress smiled at her again.

"Please, just a little something to show my thanks. I will be on break in a few minutes, then I can speak with you more about the waking dreams."

"Well, alright then. Maybe a _little_ treat."

* * *

><p>The Doctor strolled casually into the security section, taking his time to look around and take note of any interesting or potentially useful details for later. This section was no where near as eye-poppingly colorful or elegant as the other areas of the base. The metal railings were sleek and simple, not at all ugly but clearly, there more for function than anything else. The different rooms and offices were all separated by subtly tinted Plexiglas walls, and the floor was a much subtler mosaic of blues, grays and greens. A human security officer in a dark blue-green hooded jumpsuit trotted up to him. <em>~Ah, blue-green. He's a sergeant then, isn't he?~<em>

"Are you here to file a report, Sir?" The young sergeant asked tiredly.

"No, not really. I'd like to speak with the detective working on case 51. If you could just point me in the right direction it would be very helpful." The Doctor told him pleasantly. The young officer looked the Doctor over warily.

"And is she expecting you Mr…"

"Doctor just Doctor, and no she's not but she needs my help. So here I am. Which way did you say her office was then Sergeant…"

The sergeant didn't answer, just pulled out his commpad and made a call, watching the Doctor carefully.

"Detective Zala?"

"Speaking." A strong, feminine voice replied from the other side of the link.

"I've got a man here that wants to see you. He claims to be the Doctor." There was a pause.

"Again?"

"Yes Ma'am this is a new one." The sergeant replied, turning the Commpad to face the Doctor briefly. He smiled and waved at the Nethrie woman on the screen and then it was turned back to face the young security officer.

"Alright let him in. I think I can handle him." Detective Zala ordered.

"Yes Ma'am." The sergeant replied and closed the commpad. He turned, gesturing for the Doctor to follow him. "This way, Sir." And led him down a more heavily tinted blue Plexiglas hallway, stopping six doors down and pressing his hand to the scanner on the wall to their left. The tinted Plexiglas lost its navy-blue tint and a doorway melted out of the center. The sergeant gestured to the newly formed opening. "There you are, Sir."

"Thank you, Sergeant." The Doctor responded politely, stepping into the office. The other man turned to the Nethrie woman inside, giving her a respectful bow of his head before turning and leaving. The glass melted back together once he was through, its tint spreading throughout it within seconds. Detective Zala stood and walked out from behind her desk, circling the Doctor.

"So, You're the real Doctor, eh?" She asked looking him over.

"Yes I am. Tell me: someone came here before me?"

"Claiming to be you." Zala finished for him, standing in front of him so they were facing each other. "Well, he did start off that way."

"This other Doctor…"

"Tall, ginger, wore all white, cocky as all get out. He seemed to be the real deal at first."

"Oh, him again." The Doctor noted. "Then what happened."

"Let's just say, he wasn't committed to the role." Zala replied dryly. "You know, he even had some of your gear. A screwdriver, like yours, and he also had _this_." She pulled something round and metallic out of one of the larger pockets of her deep-violet and blue jumpsuit and tossed it to him. It was a very familiar watch. The Doctor stared, turning it over in his hands.

"A fob watch… _My_ fob watch. It can't be." He held it up to his ear then sniffed it experimentally. Zala just watched with mild curiosity, and amusement. He opened it, then shut it, looking down at her. "He had my fob watch!"

"Oh good, it _is_ you. He said you'd do that." Zala observed, leaning back against her desk and crossing her arms across her chest. "Mind you, he described you as well, but it can't hurt to be thorough. You understand."

"He told you that he was a fake." The Doctor concluded curiously.

"Yep."

"And that the real me was on my way here."

"Mmhm."

"Interesting." The Doctor said tossing the fob watch to himself and pocketing it. Zala pushed away from the desk and grabbed a data-pad, looking expectantly at the Doctor.

"He said you'd say that too." She informed him helpfully, passing him the pad.

"What's this?"

"Case file." She walked past him, pressing her hand to the scanner and the doorway melted open once again. "Are you coming or what?"

* * *

><p>"Rory. Ma—J—Koschei?" Amy greeted awkwardly as she entered the TARDIS.<p>

"She did get there eventually at least." Koschei remarked to Rory,as Amy walked up to where they were lounging together on the stairs.

"I think she did quite well, really. I mean, it's not that easy telling all of you apart. She's getting almost as good as the Doctor at it." Rory pointed out, a tad defensively. Amy looked back and forth between them.

"Should I be worried?" She questioned. It was a strange thing to see them acting so chummy, even if Koschei was the more affectionate personality.

"No, not at all, Bhai. You're much sweeter than the Doctor." Koschei quipped. Rory looked at him appraisingly. "Oh, get a life Eeyore! She's a child compared to me."

"Midnight." Amy broke in, not really wanting to let this weird moment stretch any longer.

"Yes, what about it?" Koschei responded disinterestedly.

"I think that's when the net closes, so to speak. Apparently, that's the time when the illusions tend to reach their peak." Amy explained. Koschei sobered, beginning to look extremely put out.

"I was afraid that was what you meant."

"That gives us less than five hours to investigate." Rory realized aloud. Koschei stood, pulling on his jacket.

"We have to help them, Koschei. Six people are dead already." Amy urged. Koschei sighed.

"I know. We're not leaving, are we?" He said sounding resigned. Amy shook her head. "Fine." He pulled off his hat and put it on her head. "Until midnight. Well, Theta's going to love this."

* * *

><p>.<p>

A/N: Okay so here's the next chapter. Sorry it's late and so brief. I to postpone a few seens in order to get this finished, I hope it still works. I had a busy and unlucky week, making geting this done irritatingly difficult, so i feel like posting this is kind of an accomplishment. That's just sad... Whatever. Anyway, thanks for reading, and special thanks to RoaringFall, Time Travelling Animagus, and EluraSeregin for reviewing.


	47. The Looking Glass

**Chapter 3: The Looking Glass**

The Doctor followed Detective Zala through the main dome and down a large tunnel-like corridor into one of the maintenance sectors. There were bright orange indicator lights mounted on either side of the opening, the Base Octavia equivalent of police tape.

"This tunnel was sealed off at Oh-Eight-Hundred-Hours, this morning." Zala explained in a businesslike fashion, holding her wrist-strap up to the scanner to allow them entry. The iridescent-blue flicker to the air before them disappeared, just long enough to let them in, then returned, although the force-field was now bright-green to indicate that the area was currently occupied. The Doctor pulled out his sonic to scan the area as Detective Zala continued, dutifully checking the facts on her wrist strap. "One junior engineer's body was discovered here when the shifts changed. A young human male, 28 years old, cause of death is yet to make any bloody sense whatsoever. He makes victim number seven."

"What was the cause of death?" The Doctor asked turning to look at her expectantly.

"In technical terms, it was asphyxiation."

"In technical terms?" The Doctor echoed questioningly.

"You know those nightmares that some people get where they want to scream but they can't manage it?" Zala asked. The Doctor nodded. Detective Zala walked up to stand over the bright orange outline where his body had been. "He was found propped up just here with no mouth or nasal passages to speak of. The M.E. still can't figure it out. They were just sealed up as if they'd never even existed." She told him, clearly at a loss as to how such a thing was possible. The Doctor finished his scans and knelt down, looking at the police outline that stood out starkly against the pale, silvery-blue wall in front of them. "Doctor, if you have any idea what could've caused this… We've had six other deaths here recently, all of them just as strange and seemingly impossible." The Doctor nodded, his expression serious. "What killed him?"

"As you said" He told her, rising from his place on the floor. "He had a nightmare."

* * *

><p>"Call the Doctor's mobile, would you Eeyore?" Koschei called over his shoulder as they exited the TARDIS.<p>

"Are you ever going to stop calling me that?" Rory asked unappreciatively. Aya waved to them from the window of Emlin Volta and Amy smiled and waved back. Koschei raised an eyebrow at her.

"No. Probably not." He confirmed, adding more quietly. "Not in _this_ lifetime anyway." Amy's smile faltered at the reminder of the Master's strange admission earlier. She jogged forward to catch up with him, causing Rory to speed his pace also to avoid being left behind.

"I'm not your errand boy." He announced, pulling out his phone and beginning to dial. Koschei flashed him a skeptical expression. "Just so you know." Rory continued, sounding less sure of himself. Koschei smirked. Amy nudged his arm.

"Hey, come on. You've had your fun." She told the smirking Timelord. "Now, where to next?" Koschei held up a hand to signal a halt, both humans promptly came to a stop.

"Haven't you called him yet?" He demanded impatiently.

"It's still ringing. Oh, never mind. Hello, Doctor… I have no idea. Koschei said—Hey!" Rory objected, as Koschei rudely snatched the phone away from him.

"Theta. Where are you? …I know. Now I'm helping… No, I didn't." Koschei sighed irritably at whatever the Doctor had just said. "It doesn't matter. Just—Where are you? …No, I will not give her the phone!" There was brief struggle after Amy realized that he meant her, and wrestled the phone away from a childishly resistant Koschei.

"Yeah? It's me." She told the Doctor, batting Koschei's hand away.

"_Amelia! Good!" The Doctor greeted. "Listen, I need you to do something for me."_

"I'm listening. Oh, stop pouting!"

"_What?"_

"Sorry. Not you Doctor."

"…_Right. I need you to go to the registry center and use that charge-card that I gave you to rent a couple of suites for us in my name."_

"Your name?" Amy echoed questioningly.

"He means his title." Koschei clarified as he began, once again, to reach for the phone. Rory grabbed his hand.

"_You know, 'the Doctor'." The Doctor clarified._

"Ha! He did." Amy informed Koschei.

"_What?"_

"Nothing. Oh here. Koschei wants to talk to you." Amy said handing Koschei the phone. They went over to pay for their rooms and pick up their key-cards, with Koschei and the Doctor arguing over the phone in the background all the while. First, they disagreed over the best course of action, then, they argued about Detective Zala, then back to arguing over the best course of action.

"I don't care what she told you! I want to know who she thinks she i—" Koschei was saying loudly. Amy held out the key-card to his and the Doctor's room, cutting him off.

"Koschei." She said, raising her voice just loud enough to be heard over him. He paused to glare at her. His glare vanished from his face in surprised response to whatever the Doctor had just said.

"How did you?" Koschei began to ask but stopped, looking up at one of the black Plexiglas spheres that were mounted on every wall in the base. "Ah, the surveillance cameras. Cheeky."

"Your key, Milord." Amy prompted sarcastically. Koschei took the key-card, telling the Doctor. "It's a terrible plan." Before hanging up on him.

"Did you just…" Rory began but then remembered who he was talking to and simply shrugged it off. "You two are like an old married couple some times." He remarked. Koschei snorted.

"To our rooms then." He said, indicating the doorway with a theatrical flourish. Amy lifted his cap off her head, smiling in amusement and bowed slightly, playing along, then went through ahead of them. Koschei slipped in to follow immediately after her before Rory could.

"You're not picking another fight with me." Rory informed him patiently, coming up beside him. Koschei blew out an overdramatic sigh.

"Oh, we shall see." Koschei responded with a chilly smirk, strongly reminding him of the Master. Rory's eyes flicked down to check the medallion on his collar, just to be certain. _~Nope, it's still him. Still… Could be a problem. Better monitor him.~_

* * *

><p>"Who was that?" Zala inquired, taking a bite out of her apple, as the Doctor returned his mobile to his coat pocket. She was back behind her desk with her booted feet propped up on the corner. The Doctor was sitting opposite her, reviewing the coroner's reports from the past few deaths.<p>

"My friends, just checking in with me." He answered distractedly, returning his attention to the pad in his hand.

"I see." She replied, undeterred. "And am I going to meet these friends?"

"Perhaps you will. I don't know if I trust you yet." The Doctor told her honestly. "There's a pattern here somewhere. They always leave something… but what— There's still something missing. There's another piece to the puzzle. I'm just not sure what it could be."

"Can you at least tell me who's responsible? You clearly know."

"Oh, yes… The Function. You've never heard of them." The Doctor informed her quickly, standing and beginning to pace. "Well… unless you're one of them." He amended, leaning down into her personal space to inspect her features closely. "In which case, I'm wasting my time here with you." He abruptly straightened up and resumed pacing. "Doesn't matter. Someone involved here is, though, definitely, has to be. Someone who knows about us coming here, otherwise how would they know?"

"Know what?"

"So that's either you, Rory, Amy, Koschei or him… No. Probably not _him_, although…" The Doctor stopped pacing and spun on his heel to face Zala.

"Yes?"

"Who else knew about the imposter-me other than yourself?"

"Well… Sergeant Thomas and Constable Jones, but neither of them were privy to information on your arrival. I might have mentioned him to my sister but… well, she's my_ sister_."

"What's her name?" The Doctor queried interestedly.

"Well, Aya-Mai. You can meet with her if you like, but I don't see how she could be involved in this."

"Is she a waitress?" The Doctor inquired. Zala nodded. "At Emlin Volta?" Zala narrowed her eyes at him and let her feet drop from the edge of the desk with a soft 'thunk'. "We've met." The Doctor informed her needlessly.

"I see."

* * *

><p>"So did he tell you why we're renting rooms here when we've got the TARDIS?" Rory asked, leaning back against the chest of drawers facing Amy as she lay sprawled on her back on the bed.<p>

"No, not really. It'll be nice though." She replied easily. "If we actually get the chance to make use of them at all that is."

"Doubt there's much chance of that happening." Rory pointed out. His brow furrowed slightly. "It's a bit weird though, I mean why would he and Koschei need a room? Timelords don't even need to sleep." Amy smirked as a dirty joke promptly entered her mind. Before she could say anything however, there was a procession of loud thuds from next door. They exchanged a look.

"Those are their quarters aren't they?" Amy stated more than asked. Rory nodded and pushed away from his perch heading out of their suite.

"I'll go and try to keep him from destroying anything." There was a pointed 'thump' from the other side of the wall that was quite clearly Koschei hitting it.

* * *

><p>Rory stood in the doorway surveying the strange sight that greeted him. The sequence of thuds had apparently been Koschei systematically knocking all the lushly padded velvet chairs over, then the couch. Rory looked expressionlessly from the collection of tilted furniture to Koschei. He was standing beside the overly intricate Plexiglas and metal coffee-table, panting slightly. The deranged alien growled shortly and kicked that over too, sending the hot-pink Plexiglas tabletop sliding across the room until it hit the wall.<p>

"Was that at all necessary?" Rory inquired calmly. Koschei nodded, catching his breath.

"Yes. Yes it was." He assured him. Rory's eyebrows shot up.

"You've messed up the table now."

"That was an _extremely_ garish table." Koschei replied unrepentantly. They stared at each other for a beat and then burst into laughter. Rory crossed the room and righted one of the chairs. Koschei eyed him appraisingly.

"You're strong." He observed. Rory plopped down into the chair, deciding to leave the rest to Koschei.

"You're little." Rory responded sinking back against the cushions.

"I'm not little." Koschei corrected, walking over to the great big mirror on the wall to Rory's left to inspect a scratch on his cheek that he must've gotten at some point during his tantrum. "I'm compact."

"As you say." Rory muttered disinterestedly, shutting his eyes, clearly very relaxed. Koschei wiped at the small amount of blood around his scratch then narrowed his eyes, seeing an odd shadow on the image.

"Rory…"

"Yes?"

"What time would you say it is?"

"Twenty-one-hundred-three hours." Rory answered distractedly. "Why?"

"They might be starting early tonight." Koschei observed. His reflection cocked its head to the side and smiled at him. The smile didn't reach its eyes. Koschei straightened. His reflection was no longer following along. It held out its hand, reaching out to grab his wrist. He whipped his other hand out and struck the mirror before his reflection could breach the surface and it stumbled back as the surface of the mirror rippled, like water in a pond. Rory's eyes snapped open. He moved to stand beside Koschei, taking in the strange sight. When the ripples reached the frame, cracks spread inward from it, stretching back towards the point of impact.

"Koschei! Get down!" Rory shouted, grabbing the smaller man and tackling him to the ground, shielding him with his own body as shards of shattered mirror exploded out of the frame. Amy came bursting into the room a moment later. Rory rolled aside brushing glass fragments off of himself, he was surprisingly unharmed. There were only a few minor lacerations here and there.

"Rory! Koschei! Are you alright? What happened?" Amy asked worriedly. Koschei gave her a halfhearted thumbs-up and looked inquisitively at Rory.

"I'm fine. Just a few scratches, nothing dire." Rory replied sitting up. "The mirror sort of… exploded." Amy looked over at the damaged, empty frame on the wall opposite them, then back down at them.

"It exploded." She echoed. Koschei nodded.

"Oh, yes. Just after my reflection developed a will of its own." He explained casually. Amy and Rory exchanged another look.

"I'm fine." He assured her, and stood up, offering Koschei a hand. Koschei shook his head, inspecting his wrist.

"Ooh. It seems I've been hit. Deep laceration in my wrist here…" He observed, poking at it and wincing slightly. Rory leaned forward to look.

"Yes. Hmm, looks like it'll need stitches."

"The Doctor should know about this first." Koschei prompted, pulling away and getting up off the floor. "An illusion here means the Enigma Device is active. A minor distortion here could mean something worse elsewhere in the base." He started to leave the room but Amy put a hand on his shoulder stopping him. Rory pulled out his phone.

"Pressure, Amy" He instructed. Obediently she held Koschei's wrist. "I'm calling him, but as soon as I'm done, I'm stitching that up." Rory advised the displeased looking alien. "Hello Doctor… Yes, it's started… No we're fine." He looked over at Koschei. "Well mostly fine… Yes. Right… Emlin Volta… Got it."

* * *

><p>"So you think we have a mole." Detective Zala concluded, toying with the straw to her peppermint shake as she and the Doctor waited for the others to join them in the half empty restaurant.<p>

"I know we do." The Doctor confirmed easily. "It's clear that someone who knew about my arrival here had to have been in collusion with the Function. That much is certain. We simply need to determine who that is."

"Well they're a machine right? We could check for that."

"No. Biosynth are too well-designed for that. They can fool scanners, even the ones in my TARDIS. They're bio mechanical. They bleed, they eat, they feel, just like the species that they're imitating."

"But they aren't, are they? There have to be _some_ differences."

"They're a lot harder to kill. Whoever the mole is, they'll heal a lot faster than a normal human or nethrie can, and they'll be overall more difficult to injure, but that's hardly a viable test. Doesn't matter; whoever they are isn't our problem at the moment. We need to stop the Enigma Device from finishing its program. We need to find it, and fast, or it could take a big chunk of this base out with it."

"I believe your friends have arrived." Zala observed as Amy, Rory and Koschei entered the restaurant and headed towards their table.

"What happened?" The Doctor asked, noticing the bandage on Koschei's wrist.

"Mirror exploded. You?"

"We had another visit from our mystery man." The Doctor explained, pulling the fobwatch out of his pocket and tossing it to Koschei. Koschei inspected it and then looked up at him, surprised.

"This is a fobwatch. Why would he have a fobwatch?"

"So what—" Rory began to ask but Koschei continued.

"This is yours, isn't it?"

The Doctor nodded. Zala's wrist-strap beeped just as they were all sitting down- except Koschei, who was leaning against the side next to her studying the fobwatch thoughtfully. Zala smiled apologetically at them and answered it. "Zala."

"_Detective. We've found another body here for you. Just wait 'til you see this one. It's a real doozy."_ Zala and the Doctor exchanged a look.

"We're on our way."

* * *

><p>The newest crime scene was in a loft down one of the richer wings of the base. Zala and Amy looked questioningly over at Sergeant Thomas as they entered an apparently spotless bedroom. The Doctor scowled. He had a much stronger sense of smell.<p>

"Where's the stiff?" Zala inquired. Sergeant Thomas wordlessly pointed up at the ceiling.

"Oh my God." Amy observed dazedly at the carnage above them.

"Have the logs been checked?" Zala asked, businesslike as ever. Sergeant Thomas nodded.

"Yeah. I know what you're thinking. Gravity plating, energy fields, internal oxy-systems were all normal. We've checked the feeds. This one's a little different than the previous deaths. It's still definitely one of yours but…"

"He was murdered." The Doctor finished for him grimly.

"Yeah. By himself. How'd you know?" Sergeant Thomas responded curiously. They all turned to look at the Doctor.

"Because I've seen it before." He replied, turning to Zala. "They know we're on to them. They're pushing up the timetable, trying to beat us to the punch. Whoever this man was, he knew something. They killed him so that he couldn't help us."

"The…"

"No. This is different. A Biosynth is specialized. They have one specific task and they stick to it. We have two infiltrators to look for: A hunter, and a destroyer." The Doctor concluded as Rory and The Master arrived. He looked at the Master intently as he walked in. Rory flinched and covered his mouth at the splattered remains up above. The Master just glanced at it casually before returning the Doctor's gaze.

"So, Doctor. It appears we have a wolf in our midst." He observed dispassionately. "Whatever will you do?"

"Rory, you and the Master head back to our room. Get samples from the mirror before the cleaning drones get to it. I'll need to do some tests."

"Amy, Zala, you're with me. We need to find out what made the Function view this man as such a threat."

* * *

><p>When they were halfway down the hall that led to their rooms. The Master abruptly stopped walking and sniffed the air.<p>

"Master? What is it?" Rory asked stopping a couple of steps ahead.

"Do you smell that? No. Of course you don't. Humans. You're useless."

"Master. What do you smell?" Rory said, tactfully overlooking the insult. Instead of answering, the Master darted down the hall, back the way they came. Rory cursed and sped after him.

"Master! Wait! We're supposed to stick together! Where—Oh." Rory said, seeing the petite, robed figure that they were chasing. _~She must be Mita. Wow. He is fast!~_ The specter weaved in between crates and machinery as they followed her into a maintenance area. She was fast, too. Not much of a surprise, really, but troublesome. Rory was beginning to lose sight of the Master.

* * *

><p>A lone figure slipped quietly into the empty TARDIS and walked up the steps to the main console. Standing at a screen, the silent intruder began purposefully manipulating the controls, pulling up a comm. pattern and programming in a new function.<p>

"Ah. Good. Here we go. Just one more… there. Open the defined comm. frequency, Yes, good." More manipulations, covering their tracks, scrambling the signal. "Now one more thing." The Figure hummed. The monotonous voice changed pitch and shifted until it was an exact copy of the Doctor's. "There, much better. Record please. Help required. You are to arrive at the following space-time coordinates. Your task is enclosed. Do not fail us Miss Song." The figure pressed a button. "And transmit. Hmm, all done. You know, Old Girl, I sometimes think you're making things easy for me. But no, why would you help me? Well, I guess I'd better return before he gets suspicious… Good luck. You'll need it."

* * *

><p>.<p>

**A/N:** So... Yeah, that's the new chapter. I hope it was worth the wait. Thank you all for reading this. special thanks to RoaringFall and Time Travelling Animagus for reviewing. Fun fact for you guys, i'm actually posting this on my birthday. Yay! Finishing this was a present to myself! I know that's nerdy of me, whatever. As always, please review.


	48. The Cuckoo

Chapter 4: The Cuckoo

Amy and the Doctor sat at the viewing station, watching the security footage from the late Jon Sentri's loft.

_Jon Sentri was going through his usual nighttime routine. It was an odd hour for a young man such as himself to be going to bed already, but he had a busy morning ahead of him tomorrow and he was going to have to grab some rest when he could. He had seen them. The machines. He knew he would need to share what he'd seen with some very skeptical security operatives, and then he would have to run._

_He walked into his bedroom tossing his watch onto the chest of drawers by the door and unzipped his shirt. Then he stilled as he caught sight of the reflection in the mirror of another man, standing in the doorway behind him. He looked at the mirror and gasped. The other man… was him, or at least a perfect replica. He darted to the left, making a run for the comm. panel on the wall by his bed. His duplicate watched him expressionlessly for a second, then looked down at the bed. It reached down and shoved the bed into him with one hand. He hit the wall and fell to the ground. As he began to push himself back up off the floor his doppelganger came around the bed grabbing him by the collar and picked him up._

"_No, please!" He choked out desperately. _

"_We apologize for your discomfort." The doppelganger informed him in monotone. "It will end soon." And with that the doppelganger threw Jon Sentri up against the reinforced metal ceiling with amazing force splattering him over the sleek, polished chrome like a bug hitting a windshield._

Amy let out a little startled shriek at the visual, jumping in her seat. The Doctor grimly reached forward to switch the screen off, but halted as the killer turned to look right at the surveillance camera.

"_A warning, Doctor." It uttered in the same monotone as before. "We eliminate threats."_

The Doctor shut off the screen looking incredibly displeased, then frowned and pulled his TARDIS key out of his pocket. It was glowing and vibrating.

"No." He said, disbelievingly, and then jumped up to run out of the room.

"Doctor?" Amy called, and chased after him.

* * *

><p>Rory crept quietly through the maintenance level, looking around his dark, steamy, surroundings for any sign of the Master, or the ghostly simulation of his daughter. They had gotten separated when she'd suddenly stopped running and flickered rapidly forward, grabbing the pale alien by his injured arm. With a startled cry of 'Zi'jaien' he was yanked straight through a pile of previously solid, metal containers.<p>

"Master!" Rory whispered, leaning forward to peek around a console. He jumped at the sound of a crash and a flash of light from a sudden electrical charge being channeled somewhere off to his right. He turned and ran toward the source of the flash. "Master! Oh, good, you're fine." The Master glanced over at him, with a disappointed expression.

"Of course I am, Eeyore." He replied condescendingly. "Don't forget: I am the Great Destroyer." Rory opened his mouth to respond, but stopped when his phone rang, to answer the Doctor's call instead.

"Hello? …No… Sorry, we got a bit derailed… No, Mita again. Why would it look like…What?" Rory exclaimed, his eyes widening in surprise. The Master's golden eyes flicked over to him curiously. "But I thought that you said the TARDIS was impenetrable!" Rory continued. The Master tensed. "Okay, we're on our way."

* * *

><p>Amy sat silently on the stairs inside the TARDIS, watching the Doctor pace back and forth in front of the console. There was just enough of it left for them to know that the message had been sent, and that, according to the TARDIS logs, the Doctor himself had sent it. He hadn't been anywhere near the TARDIS at the time. He and Amy had been with Detective Zala in her office.<p>

"Biosynth or not. The TARDIS wouldn't just let it in here without my permission." The Doctor thought aloud.

"It must've looked like you." Amy pointed out. The Doctor shook his head.

"No. They're infiltrators, not chameleons." He explained distractedly, as Rory and the Master joined them. "Once they have an appearance, they keep it. No, the Biosynth looked the same as it has ever since it first arrived… she trusted them…"

"So it must therefore be one of us." The Master concluded simply, leaning against the railing.

"Where were you?" The Doctor asked conversationally.

"We ended up down in one of the maintenance sectors. The illusion tried to snatch the Master but he shocked it and it let him go." Rory informed him when the Master didn't immediately reply.

"So you two were separated." Amy observed, looking from one to the other thoughtfully.

"It was hardly long enough to send off your ghost signal, Doctor, but I can understand your eagerness to blame me." The Master said scathingly. He and the Doctor locked eyes for a long, silent moment, staring each other down.

"It was a Xien style encryption." The Doctor added evenly, his expression stony.

"Was it, really?" The Master responded just as coolly.

"Yes."

"Well, you must think I'm a real idiot then, eh, Theta?" The Master snapped angrily, getting louder as his anger built. "I'm the last Stilkean left alive so, naturally, I'd _have_ to use a signal type that only we use! That's just fucking brilliant, isn't it?"

"I haven't accused you of anything Master. I'm merely stating the facts." The Doctor replied.

"Listen, if there is someone here pretending to be one of us, it makes sense that they'd want to deflect the blame." Amy broke in, trying to calm everyone down. "They simulated your daughter, and the biosynth used your voice, Doctor, to send their message. It's obvious they're trying to mess with your heads. Don't let them." The Doctor shrugged and turned back to the controls, signaling the end of the showdown. The Master moved to sit next to Amy on the stairs.

"It seems like they're targeting the Master anyway." Rory noted quietly. "Maybe they're just trying to make us lose trust in each other."

"It was someone the TARDIS knew and trusted. That's one of us." The Doctor insisted. "One of us isn't what they appear. There's no way to test who that is before the net closes."

"So what do we do?" Amy inquired.

"You and Rory stay in the TARDIS. The safety protocols will keep you… safe from the function until we're finished. The Master and I will handle the rest."

"Um… No." Rory protested uncertainly. The Master clapped him on the back.

"A powerful argument." He teased with an amused smirk. "Yet somehow, I don't think he'll go for it."

"We can't just sit here and do nothing!" Amy piped in. "We can help you."

"Why don't you two go for a swim or something?" The Master suggested dryly. Amy glared at him. "This isn't your problem, Bhai. We're the likely targets. Not you."

"Someone targeting you _is_ my problem!" Amy argued adamantly. The Doctor looked like he was about to try to reassure her but the Master talked right over him.

"Oh please, don't disappoint me, Miss Pond." He corrected her icily. "We share a TARDIS, nothing more. Unnecessary sentiment only gets people killed." And with that he turned and left the TARDIS, leaving two shocked humans and a disapproving Timelord in his wake.

"I have to go. Can't let him slip out of sight again." The Doctor said quickly, looking from Amy to Rory. "Ignore that, just then. You were good; loyalty is good… Helps you know where you stand." He added, looking at Rory for a second longer before hurrying out the TARDIS doors after his wayward companion. Outside the TARDIS, just a few meters away, the Master stood with his arms crossed over his chest watching the flashy arrival of River Song, via wrist-strap time-travel.

"River." He and the Doctor acknowledged in unison, though the Doctor sounded more questioning and less disapproving. River smiled widely.

"Oh, isn't this a nice surprise." She observed.

"What are you doing here?" The Master demanded rudely. The Doctor scowled at him disapprovingly.

"I came as soon as I got your message Doctor." River explained walking up to him.

"I didn't send you a message."

"Yes you did."

"The Biosynth." The Master offered, still watching River icily. River raised an eyebrow at him, turning to look questioningly at the Doctor.

"I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met. Who are you?" River asked politely. The Master and the Doctor exchanged an apprehensive look.

"I've met you. I'm the Master… currently." The Master introduced himself wearily.

"Currently?" River queried.

"Three personalities." The Doctor explained quickly, indicating the medallion on his collar and grabbing her wrist-strap in one movement. "Red's the Master, Blue's Koschei, and Gold is Jyun. Show me the message I sent you."

"It sent you." The Master corrected.

"Um, sure…" River said pulling her arm out of the Doctor's grip and slipping the device off her wrist, pushing a few buttons. "Here you are, Sweetie." She said handing it back to him.

"_Help required. You… arrive at the following space-time coordinates… task… enclosed…not fail…iss Song." Came the Doctor's voice from the fractured recording. _

"Do I sound like that?" The Doctor objected. The Master smirked.

"Oh, yes. Spot on. This regeneration is a bit…"

"You sound just fine, Sweetie." River interrupted, ignoring the Master's glare. "Now, could one of you fill me in on what's going on please?"

"_En unjaiye morro River deyja minh."_ The Master insisted, locking eyes with the Doctor.

"_Jeht mit Biosynth, aguiosha din. Kyn minh avyshah gorta. Vin jeht corrah je."_ The Doctor assured him. The Master stared the Doctor down, clearly not agreeing with whatever he'd just said. River looked back and forth between the two, not understanding a word.

"Excuse me, fellas, I already know it's me that you're talking about, so why not at least speak a language that I can understand?" She suggested. They both ignored her.

"_Kyon arz. En teldu."_ The Doctor amended.

"_Kyon minh. En unjaiye khat."_ The Master insisted. River sighed heavily in annoyance and reclaimed her wrist-strap, beginning to fiddle with the buttons as she sat down on the edge of a nearby planter to wait this out.

"_Gorta kyon myaih?"_ The Doctor clarified with a slight smile. River looked up, smirking. She'd recognized that word. The Master narrowed his eyes and drew back, replying flatly.

"_En kyon myaih, M'oshyi. Je minh morro nul."_

"My decision." The Doctor concluded in English. "Sorry, River, just a small disagreement."

"I understand." She replied eyeing the Master with amusement.

"No you don't." The Master shot back sourly.

* * *

><p>The Doctor, the Master, and River all walked into Emlin Volta to meet with Detective Zala.<p>

"Doctor, Koschei, who's your friend?" She greeted them, sliding off her barstool. Her sister looked them over interestedly but stayed silent.

"I'm the Master now, actually." The Master corrected, then his eyes fell on the dish of hot pink candied fruit on the bar in front of Aya. "Is that…" Aya smiled at him indulgingly and pushed it closer to him. "Cheers." He said, winking at her, and dug in. River tried to fight back a smile.

"This is River Song." The Doctor explained. "It seems she was lured here by our mole."

"Hmm. You know, these were always my favorite, apart from talai berries." The Master told Aya casually. "You've never heard of those." His ochre eyes flicked over to River. "And what the fuck are you smiling about, Song?"

"Language!" The Doctor admonished. The Master rolled his eyes, flashing Aya another flirtatious glance.

"You just reminded me of someone." River told him easily, sitting on a stool much closer to the Doctor.

"Actually, I don't think I have heard of talai berries before. Are they rare?" Aya said, leaning a little closer to the Master. The Doctor and Zala exchanged matching looks of discomfort. River, on the other hand, was looking over the files on Zala's data-pad, clearly having lost interest.

"Not rare. They're extinct." The Master told her, taking another bite of his desert.

"Come on Master, we all get it. No one's going to ignore you." River informed him sounding unimpressed. "No need to go pushing his buttons." The Master glared at her.

"Oh, so they're from Gallifrey. That was your home. Am I correct?" Aya said unexpectedly. All eyes landed on her.

"Yes." The Doctor confirmed looking her over curiously.

"Aya, _semkin_, how did you know that?" Zala asked coming to stand beside the Master.

"A customer mentioned it about a week ago."

"One of your customers was talking about Gallifrey?" The Doctor inquired. Aya nodded. "What did they say?"

"He came in here alone, sat in that booth over there, and when I brought him his order, I could hear him talking quietly to himself. You know, like he was thinking aloud?" Aya recounted. "I didn't pay it any mind at first, but when I had to come back to get him to behave himself, I caught a few things he said."

"Why? What was he doing?" River queried. Aya bit her lip trying to think of how to explain.

"He had this little roll of paper in between his fingers. It had some stinky plant-matter in it. He lit it and…"

"A cigarette." The Master concluded.

"He was smoking? Here?" The Doctor responded incredulously.

"Very anachronistic. He must've been a time-traveler." River remarked.

"Clearly." The Master replied sarcastically. "It's strange, though. He would have to know that was wrong for this era… It's as if he wanted to draw attention to himself. He wanted you to remember him." He turned to Aya. "Describe him. What did he look like?"

"He was tall, bright orange hair, like your human friend, and his eyes… They were pale silver. Almost ghostly. I remember them the most because of the way he kept looking at me. Like there was some big joke that he could see and I was missing." Aya explained. Zala turned to look at the others.

"Let me guess." The Doctor said. "The false Doctor." Aya nodded. He smiled. "Interesting. So he comes to you, pretends to be me, only to reveal the falsehood of his own claims shortly after. Then, he disappears completely, only to reappear a week later to make a scene here in your sister's place of work, and imprints himself on her memory."

"That does seem to be the gist of it, yes." The Master confirmed setting his empty bowl down on the bar and standing.

"You don't seem at all surprised." Zala observed. River and the Doctor eyed him suspiciously.

"You know something that you're not telling me?" The Doctor inquired.

"Always." The Master answered, patting him on the shoulder and heading for the exit. The Doctor followed after him, stopping him in the doorway with a hand on his uninjured arm.

"What aren't you telling me?" He persisted in a quieter voice. The Master looked away for a moment. As if struggling with himself before replying.

"Back in Petit Bois, I figured it out." He confessed, blinking slowly and shaking his head as if fighting off exhaustion. "The missing pieces were all there… I realized what it all meant then- the truth. You could've too, but you didn't want to see it."

"What? What truth?" The Doctor pushed impatiently, his grip on the other Timelord's arm tightening as the Master's breathing began to become uneven.

"I saw…"

"Master?"

"No! They won't let me…" The Master's head fell forward a bit, but he snapped himself out of it stubbornly. "I saw the truth…behind the…shed." The Master slumped forward collapsing into the Doctor's arms, transitioning. The Doctor looked back towards the bar. River was staring at them wide-eyed.

Jyun lifted his head up to look into the Doctor's face, his expression as unreadable as ever.

"Jyun." The Doctor acknowledged, a little tightly.

"Doctor." Jyun returned.

"I don't suppose you're going to explain what that was about, are you." The Doctor stated, studying the inscrutable alter's face for any hint of a tell.

"You know me." Jyun said pulling back from the Doctor's arms. River and Zala were looking back and forth between the two trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

"You're keeping something from me, but the Master isn't. Why is that?" The Doctor questioned.

"Since when do you trust the Master?" Jyun responded and left.

* * *

><p>.<p>

**A/N:**Okay so first things first. Here are the translations:

_"I don't believe we should tell her any more than what's absolutely necessary." _The Master insisted, locking eyes with the Doctor.

_"I know that the Biosynth called her here, but that doesn't mean we need to cut her out completely."_The Doctor assured him. The Master stared the Doctor down, clearly not agreeing with whatever he'd just said. River looked back and forth between the two, not understanding a word.

_"Don't worry. I'll keep an eye on her."_ The Doctor amended.

_"Not good enough. I don't trust her."_ The Master insisted. River sighed heavily in annoyance and reclaimed her wrist-strap, beginning to fiddle with the buttons as she sat down on the edge of a nearby planter to wait this out.

_"That's got nothing to do with jealousy."_ The Doctor clarified with a slight smile. River looked up, smirking. She'd recognized that word. The Master narrowed his eyes and drew back, replying flatly.

_"Nothing whatsoever. We tell her nothing."_

So, yeah. Sorry if that was too long a use of Gallifreyan, just thought I'd enjoy it while I had the chance. I hoped you liked it. Thanks for reading. Special thanks to RoaringFall, Mabudachi-trio, Time Travelling Animagus, and Elura Seregin for their reviews and kindness. I'm always glad to hear from you guys so feel free to review.


	49. Sympathy for the Devil

**Chapter 5: Sympathy for the Devil**

Amy paced back and forth in front of the drive-pillar like a caged animal, while Rory sat silently and watched her. She occasionally stopped to glare at the TARDIS doors, which were locked. The Doctor had locked them in.

"Amy, listen, I know that you're angry…" Rory began, but stopped when her steely gaze landed on him.

"We should be out there, helping them find the Enigma Device!"

"For all we know, one of them isn't really them." Rory pointed out. "The Doctor's just trying to keep us all safe."

"Yes, that's it, perfectly safe." Amy argued stubbornly. "You realize that by that logic, I might not really be me either, and the Doctor has left you locked in the TARDIS with me."

"No, don't say that. I know you're really you." Rory asserted, Amy stopped pacing to look at him.

"How?"

"I just know. You're my Amy." They both stared at each other for a moment but were unexpectedly interrupted by a knock on the door. Both of their attention was drawn to the entrance as the TARDIS doors swung open, obediently to let River inside.

"River Song?" Amy questioned, taken aback, as River came towards them.

"Sorry. Who?" Rory asked as River pushed past him to stand at the controls. She reached for a view screen, but Amy grabbed her hand.

"No. Wait. How do we know you're not one of them?"

"I'm not, Amy. If I was a biosynth I would have already killed or incapacitated you by now." River explained evenly.

"Both of us?" Amy asked incredulously. Rory swallowed.

"Never underestimate just how strong and destructive a biosynth can be." River warned her seriously. "They're extremely deadly and even harder to kill, nearly as dangerous as the Master when he was at the peak of his power…or so I've been told."

Amy considered her, still suspicious.

"Also, I've only just arrived here a few minutes ago. The Doctor sent me here to start some scans. May I have my hand back now?" River added, pulling out of Amy's grip. The phone rang. The women stared each other down while Rory moved around them to answer it.

"Hello? …Yes. She is." He answered turning to Amy. "It's the Doctor." He informed her, before returning his attention to the phone. "Yes. She mentioned that…Mhmn—He wants us to let her run the scans."

"Fine." Amy agreed after a reluctant pause. "But I still don't trust her."

"Fair enough." River said, beginning to manipulate the controls. "I wouldn't trust me either, if I were you." Rory finished his conversation with the Doctor and walked over to Amy, slipping an arm around her.

"Come on. He wants us to keep away from the console while she does this." He informed her, leading her away from the console. Amy sat down on the stairs to watch River like an extremely grumpy hawk. Rory looked uncomfortably back and forth between the two women before taking a seat next to his fiancé on the stairs. "The Doctor seems sure that she isn't a biosynth." He assured her. When that had no effect he went for a different tack. "Okay… So who is she, then? You two have obviously met before, so…"

"She's a friend of the Doctor's, supposedly. Their timelines are reversed, her past is his future, so we don't know very much about her." Amy explained. "We do know that she killed someone…" River paused in her work to glance back at them out of the corner of her eye, clearly listening in. "A good man." Amy concluded.

"Who?" Rory inquired. Amy looked questioningly at River.

"Spoilers." River replied, lacking some of her usual brightness.

* * *

><p>"Alright. Here we go." The Doctor said, plugging his sonic-screwdriver into the viewing station. "Let's see what we're dealing with…"<p>

"What are you scanning for?" Zala questioned from the chair to his left. "Don't touch that." Jyun stopped fiddling with the machinery on the counter beside him and propped his feet up on it instead.

"They're scanning for anomalies in the power grid." He explained.

"But they can't have made it that easy to find. They know you lot are aware of the Enigma device and how it works."

"That's true. I can't find their device by doing this." The Doctor agreed, as he continued to scrutinize the readout on the screen in front of them. "That's why I'm not going to try. We aren't scanning for power spikes. I'm looking for any unexplained fluctuations in power use, anything that doesn't fit. That's where they've been…Ah! Gotcha!" Jyun hopped down from the counter and came forward to read over the doctor's shoulder.

"Level 7, Section 12: Entertainment Sector."

"What are you up to…" The Doctor thought aloud, before jumping up from his seat and dragging Jyun out the door to go investigate. "Let's find out!"

* * *

><p>"The Entertainment Sector…" River thought aloud. She turned and walked briskly toward the exit. Amy and Rory exchanged a look, watching her go.<p>

"No! Wait!" Amy shouted hurrying down the stairs after her. "Quick! Don't let them shut!" She reached the door just in time to shove an arm through. "Ha! I got it! Try to lock me in, will you? Come on, Rory." She pushed the door the rest of the way open and looked around.

"But… Okay. Fine." Rory surrendered, hesitantly following her out. River had already slipped out of sight, and there was very little foot traffic at this late hour. The lighting flickered off, then came back on a couple of seconds later. Amy frowned.

"That was weird. Did you see that, Rory?" Amy asked, turning back to him. There was no one there. "Rory?" She heard someone walk up to stand behind her and turned. She screamed, seeing Jon Sentri's double. She didn't even have the time to grab the door handle before he grabbed her and everything went black.

* * *

><p>The Doctor led Jyun and Zala into one of the larger bars in the entertainment sector. The whole place was glass and metal and glowing neon patterns lit up by black-lights. The walls and furniture were all vibrating to the beat of the loud Electronic-metal music being pumped in by the twin walls of speakers facing each other on the twin balconies up above. The Doctor tuned it out, pushing through the crowd with purpose, heading towards the bar as he followed the source of the power fluctuations.<p>

"Doctor?"Zala shouted over the music, when they'd reached the counter.

"It's back there." He replied, gesturing past the bartender walking up to meet them.

"Great." Zala remarked sarcastically, and pulled out her badge, showing it to the bartender. Jyun wandered over to the other end of the bar, plopping down on the vacant stool next to a massive Talarkian male. He sniffed the air curiously.

"What do you want, Bite size?" The Talarkian inquired through his voice simulator, his deep-violet scales glistening in the flashing light. Jyun smiled.

* * *

><p>"This is the source, right here." The Doctor concluded, pocketing his sonic. He pushed a container out of his way, inspecting a square, bronze panel in the wall. It was one and a half square feet of sleek polished metal and when he knocked on it slid open to reveal a small lift inside, with a shaft leading up.<p>

"That's just the delivery shaft." The bartender who had let them in told them impatiently. "We only use it to deliver new supplies. It's hardly large enough for your murderer."

"Oh, you'd be surprised." The Doctor assured him, pulling back out of the shaft. "This shaft, where does it lead?"

"The Main Court, just outside Hanger One. That's where our shipments dock."

"Which puts it only three doors down from Emlin Volta." Zala realized aloud.

"Right next to the TARDIS." The Doctor finished, then glanced around them. "Where's Jyun?" Before either of the others could respond, he was pushing past them to search for his wayward companion. He frowned when he spotted Jyun half draped over a very amused Talarkian who was easily three times his size, finishing what looked to be his latest of many intoxicating beverages. The Doctor walked over to face them and picked up the empty glass sitting on the bar in front of Jyun and sniffed it experimentally, then coughed shaking his head to fight off the dizzying effects of the powerful sedative.

"Koschei!" He snapped, after regaining equilibrium.

"Jyunnn…" Jyun slurred drunkenly.

"Really?" The Doctor asked, momentarily thrown. "It's not like you to—Wait! That's not the point! How many of these have you had?" The Doctor demanded, snatching away Jyun's half empty drink. Jyun blinked at him dazedly, then giggled. The Doctor looked up into the glowing scarlet eyes of his impromptu drinking buddy.

"How many has he had?" He asked as Zala joined them. The Talarkian held up his claws in mute reply.

"Four! Really? Four?"

"What is this stuff anyway?" Zala queried, picking up a glass.

"No, don't sniff it! It'll knock you out." The Doctor warned. "It's temnine. It's a powerful sedative, toxic to your kind if you ingest it." Zala carefully placed the glass back down on the bar-top. It was immediately snatched up by the shameless Talarkian.

"He drank four." Zala observed. Jyun hiccupped.

"He's not one of your lot." The Doctor replied, glaring at Jyun. "I can't believe you did this!" He exclaimed coming out from behind the bar and yanking Jyun off of his stool. The Talarkian's razor-like scales trembled in amusement as he watched the Doctor pretty much carrying Jyun out of the bar.

* * *

><p>"Hmm… No…" Jyun mumbled as the Doctor righted the sofa with a grunt and dropped him onto it.<p>

"I can't believe you! Of all of the irresponsible…" The Doctor scolded angrily. "I expected more from you! This is important, Jyun. We could die. Thousands of people could die, and what are you doing?"

"Only two hours left…" Jyun replied grabbing a fistful of the Doctor's shirt.

"Jyun?" The Doctor questioned. Jyun pulled him down on top of him until they were nearly nose to nose.

"Have to make the most out of it." Jyun continued, pulling the Doctor into a passionate kiss.

"Mmm…Mmf!: The Doctor murmured, first grabbing Jyun's shoulders, then at the couch as he tried to gain some leverage. He began to try to push away, but the leftover traces of the temnine on Jyun's lips were disorienting him, making his head feel all fuzzy. "What?" He questioned in dazed confusion, after he'd finally managed to pull back far enough to talk.

"I assure you, they won't die." Jyun informed him, clearly sober. "None of you will."

"Jyun… What? Ah!" The Doctor exclaimed, feeling the prick of a needle stabbing into the side of his neck. "Jy-Jyuunnn…" Jyun leaned forward to whisper quietly in the Doctor's ear.

"Shhh… Goodbye Theta." He pressed a kiss to his temple. "Don't stop me."

* * *

><p>Amy groaned. Everything hurt. She felt cold and bruised all over. She tried to turn around and find a better position. That's when she realized that she was strapped down. Her eyes snapped open as she remembered how she'd gotten there. The biosynths. One of the machines, not a biosynth but a droid of some kind, was reaching out to her with some sort of small, cylindrical device.<p>

"No!" She protested, squirming against her restraints. "What is that?"

"Remain still." The droid's computer voice ordered emotionlessly.

"No! What are you doing to me? Where am I? What've you done with Rory?" Amy demanded furiously. The droid reached out with another slender metal arm and pinned her down against the table.

"Remain still." It repeated tonelessly, then pressed the end of the little cylinder into her shoulder. There was a pinch and a hissing sound.

"Ouch! What the-" Amy exclaimed. The droid just turned and floated over to a work table set up a few feet away. Now that she was fully conscious she knew where this had to be. She was somewhere in the maintenance section. She looked down at the place on her shoulder where the cylinder had touched her. "Oi! You're punching holes out of me!" She observed tightly. There was a familiar flash of light from somewhere behind one of the terminals to her left, out of her line of sight. She heard somebody whistling.

"Stay where you are." She heard Sentri's double order. Then there was another flash and a loud crash. The other biosynth present who she only now realized was beginning to look more and more like her, crossed the room, going to handle the intruder. He wasn't even attempting to be sneaky, still whistling to himself as he had been ever since his arrival. There were more flashes this time. It seemed that he was having more difficulties now that they were aware of his presence, but eventually, with a bright flash of electricity and a loud 'thunk', the second biosynth was down for the count. The Red-headed Man strolled calmly out from behind the terminals, resuming his whistling as he brushed the soot off of his hands. The droid stretched to its full height (five feet) and looked him over with the bright blue lights that were its eyes.

"Boo." He prompted, and it scooped up it's little cylinder off the work table and sped off in the opposite direction. The Red-headed Man came over and quickly undid Amy's bindings and helped her stand.

"Was that the Rolling Stones?" She inquired randomly. He smiled at her and winked.

"No time for that my dear. You've got to go and help the Doctor."

"The Doctor? Why do—"

"By now he will be lying unconscious on the floor of his suite. Oh, and yes, he has been drugged. Hurry along now. You haven't got long." Amy blinked up at him owlishly for a second, before turning left and beginning to move. He grabbed her shoulder and gently turned her around. "Sorry. This way, actually."

"Right."

"Good luck." He added as she hurried off toward the upper level.

"Thank you." She called over her shoulder, only to see he was already gone again.

* * *

><p>.<p>

**A/N:** Okay, so here you are, the second to last chapter for this episode. I noticed The scenes are kinda short... hope that isn't an issue. Um...yeah... Anyway, thanks for reading, as always. Special thanks to RoaringFall, Time Travelling Animagus, Mabudachi-trio, and Elura Seregin for reviewing. Please, tell me what you think.


	50. Farewell to the Great Destroyer

**Chapter 6: Farewell to the Great Destroyer**

Jyun ran through the empty blue hallway, headed for the maintenance sector. He wasn't entirely certain that was where he was meant to be going, but it was the best destination he could come up with based on the available information. _You'll know it when you see it._ The familiar, feminine voice in his head reminded him.

"I know, Bhai." He muttered under his breath, stumbling and leaning against the wall. "I—No!" He clutched his head, wincing. Another two versions of him leaned out of him, wrestling with each other.

"Oh no you DON'T!" The one on the left, the Master exclaimed with a feral growl, pushing on the other ones -Koschei's- face.

"Stop him!" Koschei demanded, pulling them back into one whole. Jyun slid down the wall losing consciousness, his collar flickering from gold to red to blue at random.

* * *

><p><em>The dreamscape had once again taken on the form of the little clearing that Koschei and Theta used to visit together in their childhood.<em>

"_Where is he?" Koschei demanded furiously. Jyun just shrugged, characteristically blank. "What are you going to do, Master? This isn't a fight that you can win! You're in my head! I make the rules!" Koschei shouted, looking around them for any sign of his elusive alter._

"_You think so?" Came the Master's reply, echoing around the clearing. There was a movement in the bushes behind Jyun, but when they turned to look, the Master had already vanished. "I'm not giving up that easily!"_

""_I don't plan on giving you a choice." Koschei responded tightly. The Master stepped out of the trees a few feet behind him, wearing the fine, silk robes of a Stilkean Master._

"_Those are bold words." He remarked, smirking. He looked over at Jyun. "He wants to get rid of us. You know that. Are you really going to let that happen?" Jyun stared at the Master for a long moment then gracefully took a seat on his favorite boulder next to the brook. The Master scoffed. "Well then. I guess it's just you and I. No matter." He sent out a bolt of bright white charge, hitting Koschei right in the center of his chest. The blast threw him back into a tree with a loud crack, and the top half of the tree shifted to lean precariously over him. "You see, the fact is, even before the weaponization process, I was the fighter among us." The Master explained, strolling across the clearing towards Koschei as he struggled to get back up. "As I remember, that's exactly what made you hate me, even when all I did was protect you." The Master frowned down at Koschei in mock concern as he pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, coughing. "Things change." The Master added, kicking Koschei hard in the stomach. The tree above them finally fell and the Master leapt swiftly out of the way, turning back to survey the damage as the dust cleared. Koschei had vanished. He looked over at Jyun to see him standing on the other side of the little brook, helping their core personality to stand._

"_You traitor." The Master accused in an oddly approving tone._

"_Sajyuol." Koschei returned, breathlessly. The Master grinned broadly at him._

"_It took you long enough." He remarked, beginning to build up more charge in between his joined hands._

"_Run. Now." Jyun prompted, pushing Koschei towards the treeline. Koschei leaned against the trunk of the closest one, hesitating briefly. "Go!" Jyun ordered and he ran._

* * *

><p>Amy slapped a hand on the scanner beside the entrance to the Doctor's suite.<p>

"Come on!" She demanded impatiently.

"Visitor registered." The Computer announced.

"Yes, brilliant. Now let me in!" Amy snapped and darted in as soon as the door slid open. "Doctor?" She called, then caught sight of the prone figure lying on the floor, next to the overturned sofa. "Doctor!" She rolled him onto his back and shook him urgently. "Come on, Doctor! Wake up!"

"Hmngh?" The Doctor groaned unintelligibly.

"That's it! Wake up!"

"Agh… Yes, alright, I'm waking up." The Doctor muttered irritably, sounding a bit drunk. "You are being very loud. D'you know that?"

"We don't have time for this! We've got to find Rory. I think the biosynths took him!" Amy urged.

"Nope." The Doctor slurred. Amy glared at him.

"Nope? What is that supposed to mean? Listen, if they've got Rory, there's no telling what they might be doing to him! Jyun's the mole, yeah? Did you see which way he went?"

"No… Jyun!" The Doctor exclaimed sitting bolt upright and sobering in record time. "No! He's not the mole, but he's up to something. He kissed me and then he drugged me! He told me not to stop him. Who does that by the way? He does that. That is so rude! Isn't that rude, Amy?"

"Um… Sorry. What?" Amy asked, completely nonplussed.

"Nevermind." The Doctor dismissed, leaping to his feet and beginning to pace. "What is he planning, and why now? He said that we hadn't got long… Amelia, how long have I been out?"

"Well, I don't…"

"How much time have we got left?" The Doctor amended. Amy checked her watch then paused, taking into account the extra hour on the local time-cycle.

"About forty-five minutes."

"Ooh that's not good. Not at all. Very, very not good." The Doctor thought aloud. "But they already had a biosynth in place. He's not a problem, so why bring in River Song… He _is_ a problem. Of course he is. He began to resist his objective!"

"Doctor, what are you on about?"

"They knew that he was having second thoughts, so they had him call in help. One biosynth against two targets, maybe more. It would've been easy but he isn't cooperating. That's why they had to call in an outside source for assistance, someone they thought he'd have trouble swaying."

"Who would? Who—"

"I'm sorry." The Doctor replied earnestly before turning and hurrying out of the room. Amy took a little longer than usual to chase after him when realization hit.

* * *

><p><em>"Come now, Kos." The Master taunted as he chased after his core. "You're running from your own shadow! What can you possibly hope to accomplish from this?" He stopped as he stepped out of the trees, arriving at a very familiar lake. This was the site of their first death and regeneration. His jaw tightened and he rubbed his hands together, building up charge in order to attack.<em>

_"I want my life back." Koschei answered, stepping out of the shadows to his right and tackling him. He grabbed Koschei's face and shocked him making him cry out in pain._

_"I'm a living weapon, remember?" The Master declared, regaining his footing. He growled low, sparking as Koschei stumbled to his feet in front of him. "I am the creation of the greatest civilization! I AM THE MASTER!"_

_"So am I." Koschei replied and lunged forward shoving Sajyuol back into the lake. The water flashed and steamed as it carried the electrical charge._ Koschei sighed in relief and closed his eyes, opening them in the waking world to see his daughter's image standing over him.

"Hello Bhai." He greeted with a sad smile. The Phantom tilted her head to one side, regarding him with a neutral expression before turning and running away down the hall. Then he jumped to his feet and followed after her.

* * *

><p>"Alright Doctor, think. If I were a desperate stray biosynth, where would I hide?" The Doctor asked himself, still walking briskly down the hall. Amy jogged up beside him.<p>

"They seem to like the maintenance sector." She offered, a little out of breath.

"So, not the maintenance sector." The Doctor concluded, earning himself a quizzical look from Amy. "He's hiding from the others so that they can't turn him against us. He'll have to be somewhere shielded enough that the enigma device can't penetrate… The Hanger maybe? No, too crowded. They could easily come after him there and no one would ever realize. Cold storage? Hmm… Wait. What am I thinking!" He turned to Amy, grabbing her shoulders and leaning in close to stare straight into her eyes. "This is Rory. You know him better than anyone. Where would he hide?"

"I don't know! It's a biosynth I don't know how robots think."

"No, no, Amelia. He's a biosynth. Doesn't matter, he's always been one, living as a human with you, growing up, becoming a nurse, falling in love. This is still that Rory, just not quite as human as we thought. He's still your Rory, so tell me: where could we find him?" Amy stared at the Doctor, feeling understandably overwhelmed before shaking herself and snapping out of it.

"Um… Okay." Amy sniffed. "There was some Private Flight Section or something that I remember passing the first time we came to check out our rooms. He wants to escape, yeah? Maybe he'd go there?"

"Good! That's brilliant!" The Doctor encouraged. Amy gave him a small smile. "Lead the way, Amy Pond. Let's go get your fiancé."

* * *

><p>"Wait! You move too fast and I might lose track of you!" Koschei cautioned as he chased after Mita's 'ghost'. He rounded the next corner that she'd disappeared around to find her standing inside one of the docking suites, waiting patiently for him to join her. "That's better." He stepped into the cozy little room to stand beside her, surveying his surroundings. There was a stylized readout on one wall showing a map of the base. It had been programmed to look more or less like a tapestry. There was a blue and a red dot moving towards them through the residential section. The blue was the Doctor. The red: Amy Pond. To the right of the readout was the red metal door to the pod, and on the wall opposite the entryway was a window opening out into the black. He turned back to the entryway just for confirmation. It was plain, standard white.<p>

"Of course it is." Koschei observed drily. He laughed at the irony turning more somberly to the red door to the shuttle. He took a deep breath and gingerly placed his hand on the scanner.

"Access Denied. This is a private—" The Computer Voice stopped short as he sent a thousand volts into the scanner pad, frying the circuits. The door rolled open. "Hello Rory."

"I've been waiting for you." Rory said not turning to face him from where he sat in the pilot's chair, leaning his elbows on the console. "You knew it was me didn't you?"

Koschei nodded stepping into the shuttle.

"I covered for you." He replied. Rory smiled slightly, a tear rolling down his cheek.

"The screwdriver." He remembered.

"You ran off back in the maintenance sector. That when you sent the message?"

"Yeah…" Rory confirmed roughly, still not facing him. "You didn't try to stop me."

"Nope." Koschei agreed. "You weren't hurting anyone. You lot aren't the only ones who want me dead. I've stopped taking it personally."

"You don't understand." Rory moaned in frustration, finally turning to face him. "They aren't just sending me after you. You're the secondary target!" His eyes flickered like a malfunctioning television screen from familiar, kind human eyes, to black glass lit with pinprick blue lights, to static and back again. "I don't want to hurt you. Don't let me—" His voice malfunctioned, making a strange electronic whine before his human voice returned. "I can't -stop mmeEeEE!" Koschei flinched as Rory's head twitched violently to one side. "Ple-ee-Ease!" He begged, his voice wavering deep and artificial sounding. "Don't let me k-kill you." Rory stood up and stepped towards him. His eyes were mechanical blue lights. Koschei ducked as Rory moved to punch him smashing the console behind him and crumpling part of its metal frame instead.

"_Zi'jaien_!" Koschei exclaimed and somersaulted past him. "Sorry, Rory, this is going to hurt." He informed the biosynth as he grabbed the back of Rory's neck and electrocuted him. He did do his best to slow the larger man's fall, though, then froze as he heard a pulse pistol being charged. He looked over at the doorway, taking a couple slow steps back.

"River." He greeted.

"Koschei." She returned guiltily.

"I thought so." He told her raising his hands. She swallowed, her eyes glassy, aiming her gun at his left heart. "Well, then?"

"I'm sorry…" She told him truthfully. "But you know: paradoxes." She shot Koschei and he dropped to his knees. She flinched, taking a little longer than necessary to prepare for the next shot. He looked up at her, coughing up blood and pushing himself up off the floor as she aimed for his other heart.

"River?" Amy's voice interrupted their unspoken exchange. River jumped and lowered her gun, looking in the direction of Amy's call. "What are you…Koschei?" River turned back, raising her gun again, but Amy lunged into view grabbing her arm.

"No! How could you?" She cried out furiously. Koschei whipped out an arm, shooting a bolt of electricity into the emergency release. "Koschei!" Amy called out to him, still struggling with River. River and Koschei's eyes met and she tossed her gun to him through the closing doors. The Doctor hurried over to them and ran up to the doors right as the airlock sealed, and he saw what only Koschei and Rory had noticed up until now: The thin glowing crack, spreading quickly across the engines systems inside the pod.

"Goodbye, Theta." Koschei whispered, letting himself fall back onto the floor. The Doctor shook his head in adamant denial, beating against the glass and shouting as the shuttle drifted away. The panels inside the shuttle began to spark as the engines went critical, the fail safes and power regulators ceasing to exist as the crack spread. ~_Only seconds to go now.~_ Rory stirred, regaining consciousness at the same time that engine one went critical. He opened his eyes and the bright blue lights flickered and became human in appearance once again while he looked around.

"Koschei!" He shouted, then saw the dangerously sparking console at the helm ignite and threw himself on top of Koschei. "No!"

Koschei didn't flinch or even wince, just closed his eyes, slipping River's gun into Rory's hand as the bright light consumed him.

"How could you! You killed him! He was your friend!" Amy raged as the Doctor pulled back from the window, looking stricken. There was a flash of warm golden light and a loud rumble that shook the room. Amy turned to look at him.

"What was that?" Amy asked, shocked.

"That was the shuttle." The Doctor supplied hollowly.

"Rory and—"

"He survived." River told her. "Biosynths are tough." She looked up at the Doctor's back as Zala came running in with two human officers. "I know where they've hidden the Device. It's in maintenance sector seven hidden in tunnel C1 with a perception filter. I assume you know how to disarm it?" The Doctor nodded. "Good." River stood and held her hands out to Detective Zala. "Arrest me. I've just committed premeditated murder, under coercion from the Great Combined Function." Zala looked at Amy and the Doctor. Amy crossed her arms over her chest and nodded, taking a step back, away from River Song. The Doctor walked silently past to go defuse the Enigma Device, not looking at River.

"I'm sorry." River said quietly as he passed. He ignored her. Amy followed just as silently behind him.

* * *

><p>The TARDIS was horribly quiet that night. The only sounds where those made by the functions of the ship herself. Rory was resting in their bed while his burns healed. The Doctor was sitting in silence in the control room, mourning, and Amy was wandering the halls, unsure of what else to do. She found herself standing outside Koschei's room, uncertain how she'd gotten there, and stepped inside to look at Koschei's wall collage. One of his mandalalike notes was beginning to peel off of the wall and she righted it, biting her lip when her sleeve caught on Rory's repurposed pocket-knife. She shrugged it off and was surprised when something long and metal, wrapped in paper, fell out of her pocket and rolled away across the floor. She picked it up and unwrapped it. It was the Master's laser-screwdriver. The paper wrapped around it was a note.<p>

_Bhai,_

_I'm sorry for what I am about to do. Well, from your perspective I've done it already, but that's beside the point. I'm beginning to remember things. I think I understand what's happening to us and if I'm right, you're going to need to stay alert and strong because things are about to get complicated. You need to be ready to defend yourself. Use this. Further instructions are hidden where I know you'll find them, in your wardrobe. I've programed the laser to only respond to either my DNA or yours, but still don't lose it._

_-Koschei_

_P.S. And yes, Doctor, there is a stun setting. Honestly! Amy, Love, when you see the rest, don't flip out._

Amy frowned at that last bit, wiping away a tear as she searched for 'the rest of it'. She turned the note over, and when the light hit it, her eyes widened.

"No..." She thought aloud in disbelief, turning and bolting out of the room. "Doctor!"

* * *

><p>AN: So, yeah... Please don't kill me! This is not the end of the story. Thanks for reading this guys. Special thanks to Time Travelling Animagus, Elura Seregin, and Mabudachi-trio for reviewing. As always, please review.


	51. The Phoenix Man

**26*06*2010**

"Anyone can tell that echoes move forward and backward in time, in rings. But not everyone realizes that, as a result, silence becomes harder and harder for us to grasp—though in itself it is unchanged—because of the echoes pouring through us out of the past."

- W.S. Merwin

**Chapter One: The Phoenix Man**

Inside the shuttle, Rory regained consciousness at the same time that engine one went critical. He blinked, feeling his systems return to normal, then looked around, taking notice of the dangerously sparking console_. ~The engines are going to ignite at any second now.~_ Then he noticed the large pool of blood on the floor and…

"Koschei!" He shouted in alarm, seeing the deadly wound in his friend's chest. The nav-station blew, and he threw himself on top of Koschei's prone form in an attempt to shield him from the blast. "No!"

Koschei pressed something cool and smooth into his hand. A gun. ~_Where'd he get—Oh.~_ Rory looked down at him questioningly, but a bright white light consumed Koschei's entire body as the engines ignited, overloading Rory's optical sensors. It was too late to hesitate any longer. Rory pointed the gun at the hatch behind him, switching it to its highest setting, and blew it open, letting himself be sucked out into space before the super-hot plasma from the reactor could melt him down.

The TARDIS materialized behind him, at a safe distance from the exploding shuttle. Amy hastily opened the doors so that he fell right in, promptly slamming the doors behind him and locking them to keep out any flying debris.

"Kos…" Rory muttered deliriously. The Doctor hurried over and began scanning him with his sonic. Amy knelt down beside him, running a hand through his hair.

"I know. Shh… Don't try to speak." She responded gently. Her hands were shaking slightly as she helped the Doctor peel a piece of burnt fabric away from one of Rory's wounds.

"He was…"

"I know, Rory. There's nothing you could've..." The Doctor assured him. "Hold him still please, Amy."

"Shh… Calm down, we're trying to help you." Amy urged, holding on to the panicking AI's shoulders. "Doctor?"

"There!" The Doctor exclaimed. Rory's eyes flickered for a second before there was a humming sound, like some circuits powering down, and they returned to normal again. Rory coughed out a little steam, but at least he wasn't shaking anymore. "Got it! The signal is officially blocked. His burns are mostly minor; they should heal up in no time. Come on, Amy help me get him to medical." Amy ducked under Rory's right arm while the Doctor took his left and they quickly carried him to TARDIS medical and laid him carefully on one of the two beds to clean his burns. "You're going to be just fine, Rory."

Just before he passed out, Rory grabbed the Doctor's sleeve, gasping out.

"I saw him! I saw him in the light."

* * *

><p>River Song patiently allowed her prison guards to lead her to her new cell. She had already escaped the first cell that they'd put her in, but she'd had her reasons. They were good ones even, but that's another story. Two guards opened her cell door, with one standing on either side and nodded to Sergeant Reed. Sergeant Reed led her into the cell, then shut and locked the door behind her.<p>

"Are all my belongings accounted for?" She inquired.

"Of course." Reed assured her, trying not to show how disturbed he was by her sudden compliance.

"Good." She returned, smiling.

"As you were." The sergeant ordered her guards and left. She sat down on her cot and waited. It wouldn't be long now. Soon, he would come. _~Poor guards, another escape on their very first day. Oh well, it can't be helped.~_ She reached over, resting a hand on the old fashioned, leather suitcase sitting at the foot of her cot. Her smile spread a little wider. ~_Any time now…~_

* * *

><p>Bright light everywhere, there was a strange rushing sensation and a dreamlike feeling of detachment from ones own body, then briefly, <span>bodies<span>. _~ Two places at once. Ooh, that's something! Why am I not in pain? I was injured. Was I not? Oh yes, there it is! Fuck! Why did I question it?~_ There was a soft thump as his body landed on the dusty ground behind some old, dilapidated shack.

Warm, golden light spread over him, growing brighter until he was nothing but a vaguely man shaped pool of brilliant, fiery, energy. He snapped awake with a start, knocking over the nearby trash can, letting out an undignified grunt.

"Hello?" A familiar voice questioned, coming closer. His pale silver eyes blinked open to shoot the offending container an irritated glare as the golden energy emanating from him faded away.

"Hello? Are you alright?" The familiar voice tried again, still coming towards him around the far side of the little shack. He looked curiously up to see who it was, his eyes widened in surprise as recognition finally dawned on his scattered mind.

"Amy? What! Where?" He questioned, feeling extremely disoriented. Amy stared at him, showing no sign that she'd recognized him. At most she looked surprised to find this strange, apparently unwanted person lying on the ground outside her shack. _~Wait. Shack?~_

"You're on fire." She informed him. He looked down at himself.

"Wha- Oh. Fuck!" He exclaimed and did his best to quickly extinguish the flames that were consuming the back of his utterly destroyed jacket and hoodie. _~This sounds like… Ah, of course_.~ He thought to himself, getting up off the ground and brushing himself off more out of habit than anything._ ~Oh, look. I seem to have gotten taller.~_

"Who are you, and what are you doing here?" Amy demanded. He wasn't paying full attention anymore. _~That is the question, isn't it… Oh, they're ruined! My clothes are definitely, **completely** ruined! I liked this jumper! Oh right, I should respond before she notices that I haven't been listening.~_

"Hmm, why do you—" _~No. That's no good.~_ "Ah, actually where is 'here'?"

* * *

><p>Lessli ran through the jungle at top speed. He couldear the mechanical whirring of his pursuer's probes, hovering after them through the air. He hated this place. It was humid enough, but it was far too hot for his body's needs and the dense vegetation made it impossible for him to see anything after nightfall. He supposed that was why The Function had chosen this damned location as their meeting place.<p>

"Darius?" He called to his brother, tightly.

"What?" Darius snapped from a couple paces behind him.

"You are running far too slowly! Hasten your pace, half-breed, or I will be forced to leave you behind!" He threatened. Darius snorted.

"Forced." He echoed cynically, then struck Lessli's shoulder, dropping to the jungle floor. "Duck!" Lessli dropped to the ground just in time for the oncoming probe to miss him. It flew by, raining down plasma beams upon them as it continued past.

"Duck?" Lessli echoed disapprovingly. "_Another_ Terran expression."

"Yes, yes. The useless inferior species. What good is a half human going to be to you? Except, I can _see_ after nightfall." Darius snarked, ignoring his brother's irritated stare. "Oh yeah! That _is_ handy. Thank you, Darius!"

Lessli got up off the ground, yanking his brother up by his arm, and patted his cheek.

"Very nice, Darius. We must continue." He responded, unmoved by Darius' complaints.

"There's a cave over th—" Darius began, then stopped himself, remembering his commander's current visual impairment. "You know… Why don't you just follow me?" He amended, beginning to head toward the aforementioned cave. Lessli grabbed his shoulder and stopped him.

"A strong warrior does not hide." Lessli quoted to him. Darius rolled his eyes, shrugging his commander's hand off impatiently.

"Yes. I remember that one too, however, I am willing to settle for remaining living warriors for now, and leaving the character building for later." Darius argued. Lessli continued to glare. "I won't tell anyone if you don't, I swear." Darius insisted. He looked over Lessli's shoulders, catching sight of the fast approaching metal disks in the distance. "Les, they are coming! Now! We have to move!"

"The others were right. You are still far too Terran." Lessli observed reproachfully. Darius swallowed, looking from Lessli to the oncoming probes and back again.

"Lessli!" He warned. Lessli growled, closing his eyes and shooting the nearest probe out of the air before it could reach him.

"You want to hide?" He shouted, throwing Darius back as he continued to shoot at the probes. "Then hide!" Darius coughed and gasped, trying to get his breath after the impact had knocked it out of him.

"Son of a bitch!" He cursed, noticing that his gun had been knocked out of his grip by Lessli's unexpected blow. He looked around for it desperately, but it was out of his reach. There was no way that he could get to it in time. He rolled out of the way as one of the drones surged down from the sky in an attempt to crush him. He rolled into a crouch and darted into the shadows of the nearby cave. As he pressed himself back against the wall, trying to keep out of sight, he glanced over at Lessli, just in time to see the biosynth creeping up behind him.

"No!" He cried out, but it was already too late. Lessli's head flew away into the foliage, then the biosynth dropped the rest of him onto the ground.

"Target eliminated." It reported blandly. She looked familiar, but his panicked mind couldn't pinpoint why. She… _It_ turned to look at him, expressionlessly. A probe swooped down past it, speeding towards him. He clamped his eyes shut, flinching, when someone further into the shadows of the cave, suddenly grabbed his wrist.

* * *

><p>"Doctor!" Amy called as she hurried down the stairs to join the depressed Timelord in the control room. He was sitting solemnly near the controls, staring unseeingly at the drive-pillar, exactly the way that she'd left him. "Doctor!"<p>

"Hmm." He responded disinterestedly.

"You are _not_ going to believe this!"

"Alright."

"Oi! Snap out of it! This is important!" Amy insisted, leaning down in front of the Doctor and forcing him to meet her eyes. _~She looks excited.~_ He finally noticed_. ~Not just excited. She's almost smiling. Nearly.~_

"What?"

"He left this." Amy explained, shoving a hastily scribbled note into his hands. It was still obviously written in Koschei's neat, practiced hand. "Wrapped around this." Amy continued, holding up the Master's screwdriver. "In my coat." The Doctor read the note and looked back at Amy, frowning.

"The rest of it?"

"Turn it over." Amy ordered, watching him closely to gauge his reaction. On the back was an abused, faded, screen-still of the Red-headed Man. Written over it in all capitol letters, were two simple words.

"FIND ME."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Dear Readers: I'm currently considering writing a sequel to Koschei's Trinity. Unlike this story, the sequel would be a crossover with another science fiction series I like, Warehouse 13 and would be more AU. I know KT is already ridiculously long, so I will understand if people object. If enough readers do so, I'm willing to scrap the idea, however if that is the case I need to hear about it before I post the next chapter. You guys know how I write...**

Thanks for reading this. I know this chapter was short, but I think the next chapter is probably going to be much longer(depending on whether I have to cut a scene or not) to make up for it. Special thanks to Time Travelling Animagus, CrystalSearcher, and EluraSeregin for reviewing. This chapter's currently unbetaed, so I'm probably going to go back over it to fix any grammar or spelling errors I missed some time in the next couple of days. Sorry about that.


	52. Becoming Complicated

**Chapter Two: Becoming Complicated**

"Amy?" Rory whispered roughly. Amy stopped writing and put the notebook she'd been scribbling in aside on the nightstand.

"Rory, you're awake." She observed. "How're you feeling?" She asked, carefully peeling back his bandages to check how his burns were healing. They had nearly completely disappeared.

"Thirsty." Rory croaked.

"Of course! Hold on." Amy told him and jumped up to pour him a glass of water out of the glass pitcher sitting on the desk across the room from him. _~That wasn't there before.~_ Rory thought to himself, as Amy helped him drink.

"There you are." She said, setting the glass down beside her notebook.

"Wait a minute… Koschei—"

"We know. It's alright. He's lost for now, but we're searching for him."

"He's—"

"The Redheaded Man. I know. He left a note."

"Oh… How long have I been out?"

"About five days…ish. It's hard to tell for sure in transit. You know how it is." Amy paused, looking Rory over with a serious expression. "You scared me."

"I'm so sorry. I just—I didn't want to hurt you. If I'd told you, it would've just made you into a target, and I couldn't risk that happening."

"The Function was already after us."

"Yes, but not you. I could still protect you. It was hard enough having them force me to turn against the Doctor and Koschei, but you?" Rory swallowed. "I couldn't handle that." Amy leaned over and kissed her fiancé lovingly, then pulled back to stare into his eyes.

"Don't ever do it again."

"Never." He agreed. Amy shifted to lie on the bed next to him with her head resting on his chest. She was careful not to jostle his shoulder, which had been the most badly injured part of him.

Just as they were drifting off to sleep, they were startled awake by a familiar beeping. Amy's eyes snapped open and she sat up, pulling the Doctor's phone out of her back-pocket, and frowning at the I.D. on the screen.

"Why was that—" Rory began. Amy put a hand to his mouth and shushed him, answering the phone.

"Hello?"

* * *

><p>The remaining Collectors all stood together in what Darius felt was an unnecessarily theatrically staged chamber. The entire room was dark, except for the circle of light that surrounded him and his team. He could just barely make out movement on the shadowy platform before them, reminiscent of those that judges on old Earth used to sit on, Pre-Contact Era.<p>

"Darius of Semti." An electronic voice prompted.

"Present." Darius responded lightly.

"We spare your life on the condition that you will succeed where your former Commander has failed."

"I did presume as much, yes." Darius replied coolly.

"Are you capable of this task?" The automated voice inquired. Darius looked around at the others.

"It's a good group."

"Will you and your team be capable of acquiring the Doctor?"

"Only the Doctor now, eh?" Thalis questioned, raising an eyebrow. Darius cleared his throat. "Sorry sir." Thalis apologized, bowing his head subtly.

"Pardon Thalis. He is very competent." Darius casually assured. "As I mentioned, it's a good group. Thalis here is my First Officer; Haesha is our engineer. She's genuinely brilliant, and easy on the eyes as well. Her cousin Stii loves explosives, Jolo over there is our medic—"

"The Master must be eliminated." The AI cut in impatiently. Darius paused a beat, skillfully concealing his amusement before continuing.

"…and Elim is our muscle. He's the only official assassin left on our team now. There's a terrible pun in there somewhere I'm sure." He turned back to the Function representatives with his most convincing innocent expression. The was an aggravated pause.

"Are you capable of—"

"Yes, I believe so. Is that all?" Darius finally answered.

"Yes." The bland electronic voice responded, somehow managing to sound annoyed, and the spotlight overhead went out. A second later, a transmit beam carried the Collectors to the new space ship that they would be using for their assignment.

"Orders, Sir?" Thalis requested patiently.

"Proceed to pilot us to the pre-planned coordinates." Darius ordered. Thalis nodded, taking a seat in the pilot's chair.

"Haesha." Darius called.

"Here, Dare." Haesha responded energetically.

"You know what to do."

"Yes, Sir." She agreed with a nod, and jogged over to her station, pulling an apparently improvised device out of her utility belt and plugging it into the side of the console.

"How long until the program is completed?" Darius asked.

"Five sub-cycles."

"And the systems—" Thalis began, but Haesha held up a hand.

"Wait… Systems clear. Preparing for transit. Done." Darius turned to Thalis in the pilot's seat.

"Coordinates locked." Thalis reported, flipping a couple switches on his armrest. "All hands prepare for jump to subspace in five… four…" The others all grabbed on to something, bracing themselves for the jump. "Three… two… Lock." Thalis hit the last symbol on the touchpad and the the lights dimmed turning violet. Then he reached forward to manipulate the holographic controls that appeared in front of him as the ship shifted out of phase and lurched forward into the multicolored, brightness of subspace.

* * *

><p>Koschei landed on his face on the forest floor.<p>

"Ow! Damnit!" He exclaimed unhappily. He began to push himself up off the moist ground, and that was, naturally, when the tattered remains of his jumper decided to give up the good fight. "Oh that's just…" He studied his dark surroundings "Where am I now? Lots of trees and moss—so much moss, ridiculously humid. Familiar—"

_Amphibious Sentia_ let out a shriek/roar of complaint from a couple of meters behind him, not enjoying being overlooked.

"Ah." Koschei said to himself, turning to face the creature. "Here I am." He watched her for a couple of tense seconds, debating his options. _~No sudden movements.~_ The tattered remains of his shirt gave out and fell off. He caught it reflexively and _Amphibious Sentia_ hissed at him, preparing to pounce. ~What had Amy sai—Oh of course!~ "And now I do… this." Koschei announced, zipping his jacket up as he spoke, just on principle. _Amphibious Sentia _moved to pounce, but Koschei blew out his remaining regenerative energy into the beast's face with a loud, high-pitched whistle. The light grew amazingly bright as some built up charge channeled out of him as well, hitting _Amphibious Sentia_ in the side. She fell to the ground with a whine, stunned by the blast.

Koschei stumbled back a step, leaning against the tree to his right and pausing for a moment to steady himself. He looked over at the Doctor's unconscious form thoughtfully, brushing a bit of Spanish moss out of his face, then turned to look at Amy. After he'd recovered, he knelt down next to her. She turned her head to look at him and he quickly covered her eyes.

"Ah, ah! Not just yet, Love." He warned. "Count to ten first and you're home free." Amy relaxed, lying back down with her eyes still shut. "Good girl." Koschei encouraged. He sniffed the air as he stood, then ran off, following the nearby Collector's scent. It didn't take too long to track him down.

"Thalis." Koschei greeted neutrally. Thalis jumped and spun to face him.

"You really must stop doing that!" Thalis replied. "What is it now?" Koschei raised an eyebrow at him. _~Now?~_ He thought. _~So we've done this before.~_

"_Amphibious Sentia_'s been taken care of. You're welcome. In return, I expect you to make sure that the Doctor and—"

"Yes, yes." Thalis interjected impatiently. "Your sister and her friends will come to no harm. Am I correct?" Koschei paused a beat before responding.

"Yes."

"I'd better be off then." Thalis concluded with a curt nod.

"Exactly." Koschei agreed, vanishing into another tesseract.

* * *

><p>He reappeared in far more drab, grey surroundings, and heard the sound of rifles being readied to fire. Prison guards, aiming rifles at him because they were guarding… his murderer.<p>

"Don't move! Hands in the air!" The larger, slightly older looking guard demanded. Koschei sighed, thoroughly unimpressed.

"Decide." He prompted.

"Eh?"

"Well, which is it? Do you want me to remain still or raise my hands?" Koschei clarified, then shrugged. "You know, forget it." He reached out and shocked the guards. "I haven't got time for this." River smiled at him and stood.

"I've been waiting for you. This is a bit of a strange one from my perspective. We usually meet backwards."

" I see." Koschei replied, fishing the key-card out of the guard's pocket. He held it up to the scanner.

"His handprint." River reminded him. He hauled the guard up and scanned his palm, dropping him unceremoniously once the door released. "No need to be so rough. It is his first day."

"Mine too." Koschei pointed out walking up to her. "No one's given me any special treatment." River looked him over.

"Oh dear, Look at the state of you." She turned and placed her suitcase on top of her mattress, opening it and pulling out a familiar cream-colored, suede duster and an assortment of other white clothing. "The last time that I saw you, before base Octavia, you told me that I'd only be seeing you in this regeneration one more time. I would see you for the last time, one month after your murder, and you also mentioned that you'd be in need of your clothes. Put these on now. We haven't got all day." Koschei hastily began changing into the proffered garments. River looked him over appraisingly.

"It's a shame. I am quite partial to this you." She admitted. "Your past self doesn't seem to be very fond of me."

"I wasn't." Koschei confirmed, fussing with his white silk cravat. River batted his hands away and fixed it for him. "New hands." He defended.

"Hmm" She hummed in fond acknowledgement, fussing over him just a bit before he swatted her hand away from his collar. " Well… This is goodbye then. I hate goodbyes."

"Me, too."

"We'll skip it, then." River decided, with a sad smile. They looked at each other uncomfortably for a moment. "12-05-1955"

"Pardon?" Koschei asked, frowning. River winked at him.

"You'll see me soon." River informed him. He felt the strange rush of another tesseract forming behind him. "Go on. You've got an important call to make."

Koschei stepped backward into the tesseract and disappeared.

* * *

><p>"Hello, Bhai."<p>

"Koschei!" Amy exclaimed. Rory sat up in bed becoming more alert.

"Indeed." Koschei responded, wincing slightly. "Please don't shout. These are brand new ears and I would prefer not to damage them immediately."

"Sorry." Amy replied at a more reasonable volume. "What are you doing at my house? I don't remember you ever being there?"

"I doubt that you would. I'm fairly certain that's you out in the front yard." Koschei told her, peeking out the kitchen window at the little girl sitting on her suitcase out front. "Oh, bless. I think you've fallen asleep. You were rather adorable at this age."

"Okay, that's weird. I'm pretty sure you're there on the night that the Doctor and I first met. I waited out there for him all night after he left."

"Hmm." Koschei responded, disapprovingly. "That would explain the suitcase… Where are your parents?"

"I don't have any."

"What do you mean you don't— Never mind. Look, I haven't got long now. Do you have a pen and paper handy? I need you to take down some coordinates for me."

"Yeah. Just…" Amy tucked the phone in between her ear and shoulder and grabbed her notebook, flipping it open to a fresh page. "Okay. Go."

"Temporal coordinates: 12-05-1955." Koschei recited clearly.

"12-05-1955." Amy muttered, writing it down. "That's it?"

"For now. Sorry, just give that to the Doctor. I don't have a location yet but I've got to go now. My time's almost up." Koschei told her hastily.

"Alright. Just be careful. We're coming to find you."

"I know." Koschei assured her and hung up. He peeked out the kitchen window at little Amy curled up asleep on her suitcase outside and then checked his watch. "Oh, Doctor.." He lamented, then sighed and crept quietly outside. He scooped up the slumbering child and her suitcase and carried her upstairs to her room.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Okay guys, there it is. I hope you liked this. It might be a while longer than usual before the next update because I'm leaving in the morning tomarrow to visit some relatives down south. So, I'll be gone for a week. If there is a way for me to update from there I will try, but I make no promises. Anyway, thank you all for reading this. Special thanks to Time Travelling Animagus and EluraSeregin for reviewing. As always, I'd love to hear what you think.


	53. The Quantum Waltz

**Chapter Three: The Quantum Waltz**

"Doctor!" Amy called, hurrying down the stairs to join the Timelord in the control room. Rory followed behind more gingerly, trying to avoid any unnecessary pain. "Doctor! Where are you?"

"Down here." The Doctor replied, peeking out at them from the lower level, as he pulled his goggles off. "Oh, hello Rory! Good to see you up and about!"

"Thanks." Rory responded.

"How are you feeling?"

"Well it's… Um, pretty good, considering." Rory supposed. "A bit sore, but I imagine that's par for the course for blowing up."

"Yes…" The Doctor agreed, nodding. Amy was now practically vibrating with suspense.

"Guys." She prompted tactfully.

"I mean—" Rory began.

"Guys!" Amy shouted.

"Right, sorry." Rory apologized and gestured for her to continue.

"Thanks. Koschei just called." Amy reported enthusiastically, leaning over the railing to look at the Doctor.

"What! How?" The Doctor inquired and dashed up the stairs to join them.

"Apparently, one of those tesser—things…"

"Tesseracts."

"Yeah, tesseracts brought him to my house back when I was a little girl." Amy explained. "He showed up in my kitchen while I was outside… waiting."

The Doctor winced guiltily.

"Oh…"

"I guess I wasn't alone that night after all." Amy said with a shrug.

"He gave us some temporal coordinates." Rory supplied, breaking the tension. "We think that he's trying to arrange a meeting."

"Right." The Doctor said, flitting over to the controls and repositioning one of the screens. "What were they?"

"Um… 12-05-1955." Amy read out for him from her notebook. "He said that he didn't have a location yet. I've no idea how he got the temporal part anyway, but…"

"Not a problem. We can start searching for any sign of an historical event on that date." The Doctor responded, busying himself at the controls.

"Anywhere in the universe." Rory noted skeptically.

"I didn't say that it'd be simple." The Doctor pointed out. "It's still something to work with. He's become caught up in the center of some sort of temporal anomaly, and he's being bounced around time and space like a superball. It's unpredictable, but _predictably_ unpredictable, in a way that isn't even remotely helpful. That is _so_ like him!" The Doctor suddenly paused.

"He's got that look again." Amy observed.

"That 'Oh no, that's impossible but I'm so bloody clever that it just isn't' face?" Rory elaborated. Amy nodded.

"Yeah, that's the one." She confirmed. "You know, those notes really _do_ come in handy."

"I told you." Rory said, feeling vindicated. "This one's easy to remember though because it's the face that always makes the Master want to bite him."

"Ah." Amy responded. "Now I miss him more."

"Oh, that _is_ good! Is it? Oh, that is amazing!" The Doctor exclaimed, ignoring them completely as he continued to fiddle with the controls.

"Have you found him?" Amy asked doubtfully.

"Almost. If I'm right, and I'm me so I probably am, I will do shortly." The Doctor proclaimed.

"Someone really should bite him." Rory remarked. Amy nodded thoughtfully.

"I am feeling a certain…" She gestured helplessly. "Lack of Koschei?" Rory nodded, observing the Doctor with narrowed eyes. Amy shook her head.

"Do you really think you could…"

The Doctor looked up at them innocently.

"What?"

* * *

><p>"He's just a friend, honestly." Koschei told Vala casually, as he perched luxuriously on her desk. "I am sorry that I deceived you." Vala raised a disbelieving eyebrow in response to that. "No. You're right. I'm not, but it was necessary. I'd let you arrest me again, but I haven't got the time."<p>

"Before what?" Zala asked with fond amusement.

"It's difficult to explain. Before I disappear." Koschei informed her. "You know what, forget it. Just arrest me. It won't matter anyway. Just remember to show him that watch when he arrives. I know him ridiculously well by now. I promise you: he will do exactly as I told you. So… once more for the road?" He asked playfully, holding out his wrists.

"Apollo Pond, you are under arrest- for the second time today." Zala stated, snapping a pair of cuffs on him. "For disorderly conduct and wasting valuable police time." He scoffed, feigning offense.

"I am an absolute joy." He declared cheekily.

"'Course you are, you menace." She teased.

"Again?" The Deputy asked, opening the cell for her.

"It was such fun last time." Koschei quipped. "I just couldn't resist." Zala smiled as she headed out of holding to finish the ensuing 'paper work', which in this day and age had nothing at all to do with paper. Koschei lay back on his cot and checked his watch. He closed his eyes and relaxed, deciding to take this fleeting chance at rest while he could. A minute later, the pickpocket in the cell next to him frowned at Koschei as he heard him begin to count down.

"Four, three, two..." Koschei finished with a lazy, but characteristically graceful rendition of 'jazz hands' and disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

><p>He opened his eyes and sat up, finding himself on the sidewalk in… He looked around for any landmarks. <em>~Ah, Washington D.C.; judging by the attire, I'd say late 1960's? Yes, definitely the 1960's.~<em> He got up and brushed himself off, deciding just to walk it off. Someone very tall and slender knocked his shoulder rather rudely as he passed, walking in the opposite direction.

"Excuse me! That was entirely—" Koschei began, stopping short as he caught sight of the thing that had just bumped into him. It looked like a character out of a Münch painting and… _~Oh wonderful. It seems to know me. Well, we'll just have to add that to the tally of things that I can't remember that truly hate me. I wonder what I did to these.~_

"Koschei? What are you doing there?" A short, suited man demanded unexpectedly, drawing his attention away from the looming figure.

"Do I kn—" Koschei began, noticing the man's left hand twitch in a fist as the other went for his gun. The agent cut him off.

"Look out! It's right behind you!" He warned, aiming his weapon at something over Koschei's shoulder.

"What?" Koschei asked, turning back to look just in time to see the edge of a sleeve slipping around the corner. He followed after them but whoever it was, was already gone. He shook his head and shrugged.

"Never mind. This doesn't concern me… yet, I suppose." He dismissed, sniffing the air and smiling as he turned back to the nonplussed not-quite-stranger. "So, you know me, yes?" The other man narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously. He ignored it. "Could I trouble you for a cigarette?"

"What's wrong with you?"

"Many things, none of them relevant. Cigarette? You've got a pack." Koschei persisted. The other man sighed, apparently already accustomed to strange requests such as this, and pulled out a half empty pack of Marlboros. Koschei snatched it out of his hands, sensing another tesseract forming nearby.

"Hey!" The Agent protested.

"Cheers!"

"Koschei!"

"Got to run. I'll pay you back later." Koschei called over his shoulder, dashing down the alley into the next tesseract.

* * *

><p>This time he reappeared in the middle of Milliways, once again startling Thalis, who was crouched on the floor adjusting some of the circuitry. He was wearing a technician's work-suit this time instead of a Collector's uniform. <em>~Ah, so this must be when we first meet.~<em>

"The hell!" Thalis exclaimed, pulling out a small pulse pistol and aiming it at the unexpected visitor.

"You've been spending too much time with Darius." Koschei observed, only giving the gun a fleeting glance. "Don't bother. You won't shoot me and we both know it." Thalis lowered his gun, looking taken aback.

"Sorry, do I know you?"

"Now you do." Koschei replied. Thalis raised an eyebrow at him. "Be quiet. I'm thinking." Koschei concluded, turning his back on the young technician. "Hmm… this is new. Well… unforeseen at least. So what do I…"

A familiar, passive aggressive blonde flickered into existence in front of him.

"Little Miss Sunshine! How terrible to see you again." Koschei greeted. Thalis snorted in amusement.

"Tell me about it." He remarked as he switched tools.

"Welcome to Milliways." The Hologram recited insincerely. "I am sorry, but we are not open at this time. If you would like to make a reservation-"

"Shut up." Thalis ordered, smacking the console that he was working on, and for once she actually did.

"No. That's it!" Koschei realized. "It's so obvious!"

"Eh?" Thalis asked. Koschei waved his hand dismissively.

"Yes. I would like to make a reservation." Koschei told the hologram. "The name is Williams. Rory Williams."

* * *

><p>"Eureka!" The Doctor exclaimed, animatedly. "I've got him!" Amy and Rory jumped up from their seats and hurried over to see what it was the Doctor had discovered. It was a computer file, a mission report to be exact.<p>

"That's a Top Secret file." Rory noted uncomfortably. "Should we really be reading this? I don't think we're meant to have this kind of access." The Doctor waved a hand at him dismissively, continuing to read with interest.

"It's the TARDIS. I always have access. Don't worry about it." He said easily.

Somewhere in South Dakota, a Top Secret, highly classified warehouse was filled with the sound of urgent alarms. The agents inside were at a complete loss as to how exactly this had happened.

"Never mind that." The Doctor dismissed. "Look at this report. This is where we'll find him. I'm certain of it! All we have to do is go there." The others scrutinized the report more closely as he began to busy himself with the controls.

"Manhattan, New York: 1955." Amy muttered to herself, then nodded, coming to some conclusion. "Fine." She said, then ran upstairs without bothering to explain.

"Where's she going?" The Doctor inquired distractedly. Rory shrugged, then grabbed onto the console in front of him as the TARDIS rocked more violently. The Doctor winked at him.

"Geronimo!" He said enthusiastically pulling the final lever.

* * *

><p>Koschei walked out of Emlin Volta, ignoring Aya's angry scolding as she threw his duster at him and slammed the door. That girl really could be over dramatic at times. He took another drag from his cigarette and strolled toward the residential sector. He figured that he probably didn't have too long before the next tesseract appeared. He paused by the first open corridor to check his watch. ~Twelve seconds. Not bad.~<p>

He could hear children playing a little way down the corridor and turned to look, finishing his cigarette and stamping out the leftover stub.

Two of the girls were playing hopscotch. It looked like the human one was trying to get more of her friends interested with little success. A few of them were singing. He listened closer, then frowned, turning away. It was that old folk song. One of the few that he truly despised, the song of the Evil God of the Pandorica.

Koschei tuned them out, beginning to wander again. He was unbelievably relieved when the next tesseract appeared and bolted right into it impatiently.

* * *

><p>He had to halt abruptly, having come out on a balcony nine floors up. He almost went over, possibly falling to his death- no, grievous injury, but someone grabbed the back of his jacket.<p>

"Careful, Dear." A familiar voice chastened affectionately. "I won't always be around to save you."

"River!" Koschei said, spinning to face her.

"Hello Koschei. Mind telling me what that was all about? I'm guessing it was a temporal distortion of some kind?"

"Yes. I'm sort of ensnared in a chain of tesseracts." Koschei admitted.

"You've got no idea, do you." River concluded.

"Not the faintest. Where are we?"

"Manhattan, New York: 1955."

"Manhattan! _That's_ the location. Perhaps I should… No, he'll find me. He always does."

"Let's just hope you don't disappear before he gets here."

"Don't even joke about that." Koschei said firmly.

"He'll be here." River assured him. "Until then, how do you fancy a dance?"

"What are you up to, Ms. Song?" Koschei asked, one side of his mouth quirking upward. River offered him her arm.

"Join me for a dance and I'll tell you all about it." She promised mischievously.

* * *

><p>.<p>

**A/N: **Okay guys, I'm back! Sorry about the long wait. I simply couldn't do this any sooner. Anyway, thank you for reading this. I hope you enjoyed it. Special thanks to Elura Seregin and Time Travelling Animagus for reviewing. As always I crave your feedback! Hmm... creepy. Oh, well.


	54. The Competition

**Chapter 4: The Competition**

The Doctor and Rory released their hold on the console as the TARDIS landed.

"We're here." The Doctor announced loudly, looking up the staircase. "Are you coming, Amy?"

"Yes, here I am!" Amy called back, rushing down the stairs to join them. "Just went to grab this." She held up the Master's laser.

"Amelia…"

"I know. I've been studying the instructions that he left for me. I'd only ever use the stun… if I even had to." The Doctor still didn't look very pleased with the idea, but made no further argument. Rory looked from one to the other uncomfortably.

"So…" He began, trailing off awkwardly.

"Shall we?" Amy prompted, heading for the doors.

"Yes, let's" The Doctor agreed, following her out. "Come along, Rory."

"So how do we find him?" Amy asked, feeling a little overwhelmed as they looked at the big city around them. The Doctor winked at her, tapping his temple. "Oh, right. I forgot about that."

"Which way?" Rory inquired. The Doctor spun on the spot a couple of times before heading off in a seemingly random direction.

"Follow me."

* * *

><p>"So you're here looking for the Pandorica." Koschei summarized skeptically, as he and River danced. "You do know that's just a fairytale."<p>

"So are you, according to some cultures." River pointed out. "I'm not the only one here that's looking for it, either."

"Oh I see." Koschei teased. "So that makes it a widely believed fact."

"Don't be smug, Dear. It doesn't suit you."

"Hmm, well I have to try new things out, don't I?" Koschei replied, spinning her so that her long, deep-red dress whirled gracefully around her, and continuing once he'd pulled her back in again. "I am brand new after all." River's brows rose.

"Really? You've only just regenerated?"

"Indeed. It seems you'll only see me in this form one more time, one month after my murder—"

"Oh, you poor thing!" River exclaimed.

"Mmm. Just for future reference, I'll be in need of a change of clothes." Koschei added, then dipped her.

"Do I want to know?" River inquired. Koschei considered for a moment.

"Doubt it." He said, then sucked in a little surprised breath. "He's here. It's a bit early isn't it?"

"Eleven o'clock." River informed him, glancing over his shoulder at the ornate grandfather clock.

"Interesting."

"He got the coordinates wrong again?" River guessed, sounding unimpressed. Koschei nodded.

"But only by an hour and five minutes."

"Interesting." River noted, then gasped excitedly. "So _you_ don't know what you look like yet!"

"Tall and ginger?" Koschei tried. River grinned at him.

"This way." She told him, grabbing his hand and leading him out into the hall, away from the crowd. Halfway down the lush, red carpets of the richly-decorated, gold and ivory hallway, a man in a smart business suit and hat pushed past between them. Koschei turned to watch him dart away with mild annoyance as he slammed into the wall. River flinched slightly in sympathy, then turned to look as another, rather dapper-looking suited figure ran by.

"Sorry. Please excuse us." He apologized hastily as he went. Koschei looked askance at River.

"The competition." She clarified. He narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously.

"Was that a Tesla-gun?"

"Might've been." River admitted with a shrug.

"River!" Koschei scolded. River looked away down the hall.

"Doctor! Ponds!" She greeted, changing the subject. "How nice of you to join us."

"Koschei!" Amy called happily, ignoring River, and tackled him in a hug. "You're alright!"

"Oof! Yes, hello." He replied with a cough, patting her back uncomfortably. He waved at the others behind her, with his free hand. "Doctor." The Doctor smiled and winked. "Eeyore." Rory crossed his arms over his chest.

"Well, it's definitely you." He stated as Amy finally released her grip on Koschei. Koschei turned to River expectantly.

"Which way is it?" He prompted. River patiently pointed down the hall on their right. He walked over and began inspecting his new self in the mirror. The others followed after him.

"So what are you doing here?" The Doctor asked stiffly, looking River over.

"There are rumors about the Pandorica being hidden here somewhere."

"And you're hoping to claim it."

"To find it, yes." River said eyeing the others uncertainly. "Sorry, have I done something wrong?"

"You're forgiven." Koschei dismissed, running a hand through his fiery red ringlets. "Red hair! Now that takes me back. And I'm taller than you now, Doctor!"

"Prettier too." Amy added teasingly. The Doctor straightened his posture.

"Oi!"

"You know… I really am." Koschei confirmed with a smirk. "You can't ruin this for me." He assured Amy cheerily.

"Are you almost done?" The Doctor queried. Koschei's silver eyes flickered over the Doctor's reflection disinterestedly, then he tried out his new smile.

"You've got fangs." Rory noted. Koschei tilted his head to one side, in response. "Well, _ish_." Rory amended. Koschei shrugged.

"Actually, we _do_ look like siblings." He said, comparing his and Amy's reflections side by side in the mirror.

"What?" Rory asked as Amy leaned against the Timelord's shoulder to judge for herself.

"Just something Thalis said before." Koschei dismissed.

"Maybe a little." Amy supposed. "Are you telling me that you had time for chitchat while he was chasing you through Vegas II?" Koschei shook his head.

"Hasn't happened yet." He explained. Rory and the Doctor exchanged a look. "That reminds me. Theta, I need your screwdriver."

"So River, what exactly have you heard about the Pandorica?" The Doctor questioned, changing the subject. Koschei rolled his eyes, brushing past the Doctor.

"The Secret Service Agents who are looking for it went that way." He reported helpfully.

"Wait. _Secret Service _Agents?" Rory echoed.

"River!" The Doctor chastened.

"Well I doubt that they'll know what to do with it." River defended. "You've heard the legends."

"Yes, and naturally, you'd be far better suited to handle it." Koschei remarked sarcastically, falling into step with the Doctor as they started after the agents.

"Why the Secret Service? Isn't their job looking after the President?" Rory asked.

"Mostly." The Doctor explained. "These agents are specialized. They work for the Warehouse."

"The what?"

"Later, Eeyore. This is important." Koschei told him impatiently. He stopped abruptly. "Did you hear that?"

"No." Rory and River responded in unison.

"Hm-m." Amy answered. Koschei paused another moment to listen.

"Mmm. Never mind."

"But they haven't got a clue what they're dealing with this time." River insisted as they began moving again. "They seem to think it's some kind of magical music box. I couldn't just leave it up to them."

"Just forget it. He isn't getting over it that easily." Rory advised her quietly.

"Why? What did I—" She began, but was stopped by the look Koschei gave her over his shoulder. "I know: Spoilers." She recited as they rounded the next corner, then jumped at the sound of a sudden loud crash and a yell. Amy let out a startled squeak as well. There was a door ajar halfway down the hall. It was lit with the telltale lightening-like flash of a Tesla-gun being discharged, in the next moment. The Doctor and Koschei exchanged a glance and rushed inside.

"Hold it right there!" The dapper agent ordered, aiming his Tesla gun at them. The Doctor immediately did as he was told. Koschei just scoffed. "Both of you! I _will_ shoot you." The other man insisted as Amy came to stand in the doorway behind Koschei.

"Oi!" She swatted the back of his head.

"Ow!" He whispered.

"Hands!" Amy prompted, raising her own with a polite smile at the man.

"We're on your side." The Doctor assured the agent. "We know you're looking for the Pandorica. We're here to help." He looked down at the other agent lying sprawled on the floor, with his ears bleeding.

"Who are you?" The agent demanded.

"The Doctor."

"_The_ Doctor." He echoed, raising an eyebrow.

"I know. He's pretentious, but he's good at what he does." Koschei said, lowering his hands, his tone turning smooth as velvet as he caught the other man's eye. "It really wouldn't hurt to allow Dr. Smith here to look your partner over, now would it?" He paused for a moment before nodding and lowering his weapon. The Doctor knelt down next to his partner on the floor and reached into his pocket for his screwdriver, then glared up at Koschei, clearing his throat pointedly. Koschei crossed the room, to scrutinize the broken window in the opposite wall and tossed the device to the other Timelord without even glancing in his direction.

"The music box did this?" The Doctor asked as Amy knelt down beside him. The others had come to stand in the doorway. They seemed more interested in what Koschei was up to, as did the conscious agent.

"Yes. How did you know about it?"

"I've worked with you lot before. I didn't catch your name."

"Agent Quinn. When? I don't remember you."

"You wouldn't. Oh, and you should meet my friends. That's Rory, and Amy…" The two companions smiled, and nodded politely in greeting. Amy gestured to Koschei.

"And that's my daft old brother—"

"Apollo." River supplied, crossing curiously over to join him by the window. Rory raised his eyebrows, mouthing the name.

"Thank you, River." Amy replied tightly.

"This is strange." Koschei noted casually, poking a shard of glass out of his way and leaning against the frame as he looked out.

"No kidding." Agent Quinn responded.

"No, not that." Koschei corrected. River pulled her gun out of her garter and cocked it, noticing what he was looking at. "I meant that usually when one finds it necessary to dive out a fourth floor window, they don't begin crawling right back up."

"Apollo." River prompted urgently, putting a hand on his arm. He obediently moved behind her, still managing to look completely unconcerned. The Doctor stood, watching them intently as Agent Quinn readied his Tesla.

"Don't bother. Those don't work on cybermen." Koschei informed him.

"What!" The Doctor exclaimed. Rory's eyes widened and he yanked Koschei away from the window reaching out for Amy's hand at the same time.

"It's got the box." River reported.

"Forget it." The Doctor replied. "Everyone out. Now!"

"Why? What's a-" Agent Quinn began.

"Just go!" The Doctor insisted. River was the last to obey, opening fire on the cyberman as it reached the windowsill.

"River!" The Doctor urged, dragging the unconscious agent out of the room.

"I'm trying, Sweetie!" She shot back, then lunged through the door to avoid being hit when it returned fire. Rory promptly slammed the door shut behind her and pushed a heavy mahoghany chest in front of it to barricade it.

"How did no one notice that thing?" Amy demanded breathlessly.

"Perception filter." Koschei explained. "It's got the box, but it's coming back…"

"The box is only part of what it wants." The Doctor continued.

"It's missing something…" Koschei added.

"Your partner… what happened?" They asked together, turning to Agent Quinn.

"Wha—"

"No time for that. What did he do?" Koschei pushed, his ghostly silver eyes boring inently into Quinn's. He swallowed.

"He had a hunch. A woman had brought him in there earlier. Annette Stone. She was our prime suspect. The one that brought us here. When we saw her again tonight, he realized that she had a tell. She kept touching her ear—"

"Yes, yes, but what happened when you went to retrieve the box?" Koschei interrupted.

"Oi! Sherlock! Ease up, would you?" Amy rebuked. Koschei raised an eyebrow at the agent, looking slightly irritated.

"He went in ahead of me. There was this sound… like the air was burning and then a flash. When I got in there, he was screaming and there was a figure scooping the box up off the floor."

"Eugh! Fairly sure I know what that flash was. It had nothing to do with the box." The Doctor concluded, wincing. "That figure was the cyberman. Didn't touch your partner though… which in itself is odd."

"His ears are bleeding." Koschei thought aloud "Pupils?" The Doctor nodded.

"Beyond dilated."

"Ah."

"Functional auditory disphasia." The Doctor concluded. Everyone other than Koschei gave him a blank look.

"He'll be fine once we get the other bit." Koschei assured them.

"Other bit?" Agent Quinn inquired.

"The box is a telepathically activated circuit. The reason it disabled your partner is because it couldn't finish its program. So a fixated cyberman, plus a comatose partner, equals a missing component."

"I'm sorry, I'm still at a loss. That all sounded like gibberish to me." Agent Quinn admitted.

"In layman's terms, the box is missing a piece. We need that piece to help your partner." River summarized. "Good enough?" Agent Quinn nodded.

"I thought that was what I said." The Doctor protested, then made a dismissive gesture. "The point is: we need to find the missing piece before anyone else does."

"Doctor." Koschei said, sounding less enthusiastic.

"We just need to figure out where it's hidden."

"Doctor."

"The cyberman obviously thinks it's here. It might be worth our while to stick around and see if it's been hidden somewhere in this building."

"Theta!"

"Yes?"

"I'm going."

"What? Oh. _Right_."

"Now. Your sonic?" Koschei prompted. The Doctor made an unhappy sound. "Doctor!"

"Yes, fine. Here you go." He said begrudgingly handing over the device. Koschei sped off down the hall, disappearing around a corner. "I liked that screwdriver!" The Doctor complained.

"Wha-" Agent Quinn muttered in confusion. Rory shrugged.

"They do that." He told him dismissively.

"If we're going to stay here, you two should change." River noted, looking Amy and Rory over appraisingly.

"But when K—When Apollo comes back…" Amy argued.

"We'll be ready for him." The Doctor assured her. "She's right. We need to be inconspicuous." Agent Quinn looked like he wanted to comment but just then an unpleasant buzzing rang from his jacket pocket.

"Excuse me." He said and walked over to a secluded corner to handle whatever it was.

"I'll stick with him until you lot return." River volunteered. "Just hurry. I have a feeling we don't have much time left."

"Fine. Come on." The Doctor said, putting his arm around Rory and Amy's shoulders and leading them away down the hall.

"I don't trust her." Amy told him in hushed tone.

"I know, but we may need her help. Try to remember, Amy: she hasn't done it yet. It isn't fair to hold it against her." The Doctor pointed out.

"But she will."

"I know; just try not to let it affect your judgment."

"Koschei forgave her." Rory piped in unexpectedly. "You don't blame me still, do you?"

"That's different." Amy argued.

"Let's just try." The Doctor insisted. "I'm watching her, believe me."

* * *

><p>.<p>

**A/N:** Okay so, yeah more Warehouse 13 stuff keeps sneaking into this ahead of time but I really don't want to recategorize the whole thing just for a few references. Anyway, I hope you liked this. Thank you for reading it. Special thanks go to Mabudachi-trio and EluraSeregin for reviewing. As always, feedback is much appreciated.


	55. Convergence

**Chapter 5: Convergence**

"I'd say I was sorry, but I'm really not." Koschei concluded cheekily. The Collectors charged their weapons.

"Then you will suffer!" One threatened, readying to shoot him in the face. He checked his watch, entirely unconcerned. _~Oh, lovely. Right on schedule.~_ He looked up and flashed them an incredibly aggravating grin.

"Nice try, mate. Time's up." Koschei replied, giving the surlier one a wink before he vanished into thin air. It was the same one that the Master had stabbed through the shoulder, only to kill later for taking Amy hostage. _~It's always that guy, isn't it.~_ Koschei reflected as he appeared in a darkened alley in 1950's New York. He strolled nonchalantly out of the alley, looking across the street at the few joyous partygoers that were wandering out of the building opposite him. The Doctor was farther away than he'd expected. _~He must have gone back to the TARDIS. Wonder if he took the others with him. Oh no, never mind; there's River. ~ _River came out the large, glass, double doors with Agent Quinn following after her and began to jog across the street to join him.

"River Song, what have I—" Koschei stilled in midsentence, his pale eyes widening as he heard the tinny, robotic voice demanding his attention from the darkness of the alley behind him.

"Halt! Unknown humanoid! Identify!"

"Well that's a new one: 'Halt!' I like that. It's a nice change." Koschei remarked, as River caught sight of his captor and drew her weapon, looking understandably shocked. "Much friendlier than your usual—"

"You will identify or you will be exterminated!" The Dalek threatened.

"That's the one." Koschei noted lightly. "You really don't recognize me? Or are your scanners malfunctioning?"

"Apollo?" River queried tensely as Quinn came up beside her, aiming his tesla at the Dalek.

"Just fine, actually." Koschei assured her. He asked the Dalek over his shoulder. "How's that scan coming?"

"Oh, you _would_ taunt it, wouldn't you?" River remarked, sounding disapproving and fond at the same time.

"Unidentified Genetic Profile!" The Dalek exclaimed, charging its weapon. "Extermi—" It was cut off by a blast from Quinn's tesla-gun. There was a low grating hum as the Dalek lost power. Koschei lowered his hands and turned to look at it. River straightened her stance, taken aback and looked from the Dalek to Koschei.

"I didn't think that would really work." She admitted. Koschei snorted.

"It didn't." He confirmed, and took a couple of steps back as the Dalek powered up once again. "Pretty good though, especially for a stun-gun."

"Exterminate! Exterminate!" The Dalek cried, aiming first at River then switching back to Koschei.

"Wait! No! You want me to identify myself? I'll tell you, shall I?" Koschei cut in, moving closer to River so that he was partly blocking her. The Dalek paused. "Brilliant!" Koschei said, clapping his hands and rubbing them together excitedly. "You are going to just kick yourself when you realize who I am. Really! You haven't the faintest idea what you're dealing with—"

"Identify!"

"I am…" Koschei's expression shifted from tense excitement to a flawless, playful smile, his pearly-white fangs shining in the moonlight. "The Master."

"Impossible! Impossible! All Timelords were exterminated!" The Dalek exclaimed, moving about agitatedly. Quinn looked at Koschei and River in confusion.

"I got better." Koschei responded, still showing the same sweet smile, only his steely eyes shone with a cold, unforgiving anger. "_You_ won't." He spread his hands apart, channeling the current that he had been building up between them into the Dalek. He paused and eyed the sparking, struggling thing expressionlessly for a moment before taking hold of River's gun and shooting the Dalek twice, effectively executing it. Then turned and walked past them out of the alley. River swallowed and shared a shocked look with Agent Quinn, before hurrying after Koschei. She caught up to him in the stairwell, looking around to make sure that Quinn wasn't with them yet before calling up to him.

"Koschei! Koschei, wait!" River tried, running up the stairs after him. He ignored her. "Please, just talk to me!" He looked back at her, then slowed his pace, rolling his eyes.

"You realize I don't know you that well." He pointed out to her when she caught up with him. She moved to stand in front of him, looking into his face intently.

"What was that?"

"The Dalek?" Koschei responded. River rested her hands on her hips, shooting him an unimpressed look. "You know me…"

"That was reckless." She admonished. He raised an eyebrow at her. "You have a fresh start now. You've only just regenerated and you're already letting your emotions get the better of you. I understand how you feel, Dear, believe me I do, but there were others watching who undoubtedly won't."

"Yes, that and the Doctor wouldn't approve." Koschei sneered, moving to push past her. She caught his arm.

"That is _not _my point and you should know better than that, or at least you will." She told him evenly. Koschei took a deep breath and leaned against the wall until she released her grip on his arm. "So… First a cyberman comes after the music box, then you get cornered in an alley by an oddly hesitant Dalek."

"Hmm." Koschei hummed and nodded, considering the mystery before them. "Did you and the human find anything while I was gone?"

"Nothing of note."

"The others?"

"They went back to the TARDIS to change and left me in charge of Agent Quinn."

"Well, good job. You appear to have lost him." Koschei noted.

"It's you that I'm more worried about at the moment."

"I'm fine." Koschei assured her just a tad too forcefully to be entirely convincing. She crossed her arms over her chest.

"What happened to you?"

"You know, the others will be back soon. I'll just pop upstairs to check on our suspects." Koschei announced evasively. "When you feel like helping us solve this, feel free to come and join me." He walked past her, moving swiftly up the stairs toward the dance hall. River turned and followed after him, pushing down her worry and aggravation to deal with later. She knew better than to let him see how much it was bothering her, as it would only make him more difficult.

"Right then, suspects?" She prompted, businesslike.

"Oh River, didn't you know? Everyone's a suspect."

* * *

><p>The Doctor, Amy, and Rory were walking back inside to meet up with the others when the Doctor noticed Agent Quinn pacing in the hallway. He stopped when he caught sight of them -doing a double take when he thought he saw Rory seem to falter a step, his eyes flash bright blue for a second- then brushed it off. The stress was obviously beginning to get to him.<p>

"Agent Quinn, what is it? Is something wrong?" The Doctor asked.

"Who are you people?" Quinn demanded, turning on the Doctor as he ceased his pacing.

"We're— Well… Just tell me what's happened." The Doctor said awkwardly.

"Miss Song and I went across the street to meet with Apollo, and there was this robot sorta thing, like a giant pepper-pot holding him hostage. It wanted him to identify himself, it kept shouting 'exterminate'!" Quinn broke off his rant to look questioningly at Amy, having heard her shocked gasp.

"How can they be here? They can't be back! Can they?" Amy exclaimed, looking nervously to the Doctor for confirmation.

"Who?" Quinn shouted.

"What happened next? Is everyone alright?" The Doctor asked, stepping forward to stand in the other man's personal space.

"He just smiled at it and told it that he was 'the Master' and then he—he shot lightening out of his hands and killed it! If you guys are using artifacts- Hey! Where are you going? Wh—wait up!" Quinn called as the Doctor darted away up the stairs, following Koschei's scent, and the others almost immediately ran after him.

* * *

><p>"Look at that one. The velvet suit over by the balcony exit." Koschei indicated, gracefully scooping a glass of white wine off of a passing tray without even glancing at it, and taking a sip. One day River would figure out how he managed that.<p>

"I see him. What about him?"

"Mind the ear." He whispered into her ear. Then turned and winked at the Doctor, who had appeared in the doorway looking as if he'd run the whole way. River watched the man in the velvet suit and then turned to Koschei resting a hand on his arm when she got it.

"Oh, I see." She informed him. "Just like that Stone woman. He can't stop touching his ear. What does that mean?"

"I have a theory." Koschei replied smoothly, his expression perfectly neutral once again. The Doctor beckoned him towards the doorway, looking grim. "Excuse me." Koschei muttered to River, handing her his wine glass as he passed.

"I've done it now, haven't I?" He remarked drily as he reached the other Timelord. They stepped out into the hall for some semblance of privacy.

"You killed that Dalek."

"One could argue that I did so in self defense."

"Yes, you could…"

"Not that I have."

"But you've also called yourself the Master." The Doctor returned grimly. Koschei did a theatrical shocked face.

"Did I! What shall we do now?" He mocked, then smirked in amusement. "I _am_ the Master, _Doctor_, or have you forgotten my rank already? Perhaps your age is getting to you. Although..." He bit his lip in another overdramatic expression. "Wait a minute, I am older than you, aren't I?"

"This isn't a game, Master."

"Are you going to begin calling me that every time you get cross or do we have a problem?"

"You haven't transitioned since your death." The Doctor accused as the others caught up to them. Koschei dropped his playful mask altogether. He snorted derisively and rolled his eyes.

"No, I don't suppose that I have. I also could have been killed, but _that's_ not what bothered you was it? You only care about what title I told to the enemy!" He spat venomously, looking hurt and disgusted. "Tell me, Theta, is this really about trust, or are you just disappointed that I'm not the one that you really wanted?" The Doctor opened his mouth to reply but Koschei just let out a feral growl and darted away down the hall, disappearing around a corner.

"What was that?" Rory queried. Amy frowned and after a brief hesitation, she followed after him.

"I'll talk to him. You go on without us, we'll catch up." She called over her shoulder before disappearing from view.

* * *

><p>"I don't think so, ' .'" The Doctor said as he grabbed the young blonde by the arm and pulled her back from the mahogany chest that she'd been trying to push away from the door to the crime scene. "If that is your real name. Which it isn't."<p>

"Who are you? Get your hands off of me!" She retorted trying to free herself. She gave up when she caught sight of Agent Quinn.

"I'm with him." The Doctor told her nodding towards the Agent as River and Rory came over to them. "So what are you doing here on the surface? It's the 1950's. Your lot should still be in hibernation for another couple of decades."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Stone responded unconvincingly.

"Oh come on! Give it up. You're using a shimmer. It's not even a very good one. I can see it flickering." The Doctor informed her, clearly unimpressed.

"Sorry. What's flickering?" Quinn asked. "I don't see flickering."

"I do." Rory noted.

"Human eyesight." River explained. "It's absolute rubbish." Stone glared at them in frustration and embarrassment and let out an insulted huff. The Doctor shrugged at her.

"Fine." She surrendered and deactivated the shimmer, pulling the device away from the side of her head.

"Oh!" Quinn exclaimed, flinching and taking a step back. The Doctor shot him a look of disapproval.

"I thought so. Silurian. What are you doing up and about?" The Doctor inquired amiably. Stone eyed him carefully with an unreadable expression on her face before snapping her tongue out to stun him and running up the wall to make her escape in one, lightning-fast movement.

"Son of a-!" Quinn exclaimed, drawing his weapon as River opened fire on the fleeing reptile. She was moving too swiftly, though, and was out of range within seconds. Rory ran over to check on the Doctor.

"He's alright. He's just unconscious." He reported. "What the hell just happened?"

"She must be here for the box." Quinn theorized. River nodded.

"That makes three." She noted. "But why now? It's just an artifact. All these races are far more advanced than we are. They could've gotten to it before we'd even realized its significance."

"You think there's something larger going on here." Quinn observed.

"When isn't there?" Rory pointed out.

"Fair point." River acknowledged. Rory turned away again to look the Doctor over. His eyes flickered and became artificial blue lights against a black background.

* * *

><p>Amy found Koschei sitting alone on a dark and vacant balcony on the other side of the building from the dance hall, looking up at the stars. She stepped out to join him, carefully maneuvering her blue-satin dress away from the rain-soaked patches and silently sat down beside Koschei. When he chose to ignore her she just leaned back against the carved, stone railing and looked up at the night sky, waiting for him to acknowledge her presence. He eventually gave in and glanced over at her out of the corner of his eye before finally deigning to speak.<p>

"You aren't going to let this go, are you?"

"Of course not." Amy agreed, smiling faintly. "We're family, remember?" Koschei shrugged noncommittally.

"Nobody's looking." He hinted. Amy frowned at him.

"I'm glad that you're alright. I do care about you. We all do, especially the Doctor. He's just… He has a lot on his mind, that's all."

"I just died, Amy." Koschei snapped, jumping to his feet. "I don't need this emotional nonsense." He started to leave, covertly brushing away a stray tear as he went. Amy grabbed his sleeve to stop him and he stilled, seemingly unwilling to turn and face her. "Let me go."

"No. Tell me what's bothering you." Amy insisted stubbornly. "Damnit, Koschei! Why won't you look at me?"

"Because."

"Because…"

"Because I remember now."

"What?"

"You!" Koschei said, pulling out of her grip and walking inside. She followed after him.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You look exactly the same as you did when I first met you." Koschei informed her, spinning to face her. "The dress, those curls…" He elaborated touching one stray ringlet with a troubled expression before snapping himself out of it and continuing. "It's going to happen soon, if this is any indication, which means that I already know what happens next and I can't change it!"

"What happens?" Amy inquired. Koschei swallowed and turned back around, resuming his walk away down the hall. "Koschei! Stop! What did you remember? Ko—" She caught sight of a group of partygoers headed their way. "Apollo! You're scaring me! What happens to us?" Koschei stopped and grabbed her shoulders in an iron grip, leaning in close to look right into her eyes, continuing in a quiet, warning tone.

"You cannot know, Miss Pond. I know you. If I told you our future, you would waste all our precious time trying to change the inevitable and we cannot afford that."

"The future can be changed."

"Not this time. This future is my past. It has to be this way. Consider it destiny if you prefer. What you should focus on is what you are going to do after you survive. In the meantime, the Doctor and I have a number of invaders to handle." His silver eyes danced over her face for a moment. "Are we finished here? Yes. I believe we are." He concluded, releasing his grip on her shoulders and darting away towards the dance-hall without sparing Amy a second glance.

* * *

><p>"First a cyberman comes after the music box, then a Dalek out in the alley," The Doctor thought aloud, pacing in the hallway outside the blocked of crime scene. "Now Annette Stone turns out to be a Silurian warrior…"<p>

"About that—" Quinn began, leaning back against the wall.

"Shhh." River cut in from her seat on the floor next to Rory. "The Dalek was behaving strangely as well."

"Acting strangely? Strangely how?" The Doctor queried, kneeling down in front of her.

"It wanted him to identify himself at first. When he didn't, that was when it threatened to exterminate him." River recounted. The Doctor's brows scrunched up in confusion. "Yes, Sweetie, you heard correctly: it _threatened_ him. If it hadn't taken so much time to attack we'd all probably be very dead right now."

"That's…" The Doctor thought aloud, resuming his pacing. "Why would it threaten him? Why would it hesitate? It doesn't—"

"Make any sense? Yes M'oshyi, we'd gotten that far before your return." Koschei said as he strolled up to them. "The question is: Why do our enemies seem to be converging on this location in space time? The answer is simple. You—" Koschei's revelation was cut short as Rory unexpectedly shoved him into the wall with inhuman strength.

"No!" The Doctor cried instinctively starting forward, but River grabbed him and dragged him away and pushed him into one of the empty rooms further down the hall.

"Four." She muttered.

"What?" Asked Quinn.

Rory turned to regard the baffled Agent. His eyes had once again become twin blue lights.

* * *

><p>.<p>

**A/N:** Hey guys, sorry this took me so long. I've been busy, but hey, hopefully this was good enough to make up for it. I'll try to be more prompt with the next chapter. Thanks for reading this. Special thanks to Mabudachi-trio, EluraSeregin, and TimeTravelingAnimagus for reviewing. As always, please review.


	56. The Not So Evil God

**Chapter 6: The Not So Evil God**

"No!" The Doctor cried out, starting toward Koschei's motionless body on the floor before him. River grabbed him and dragged him to safety, despite his struggles to reach his fallen friend.

"Four" She muttered as she shoved him into a vacant room. He immediately ran back and threw himself against the door, trying to force his way out, but she locked him in.

"What?" Quinn asked, then swallowed, hastily drawing his weapon as that caught Rory's attention. The seemingly possessed AI started towards him and the agent shot him with his tesla-gun. Rory paused for a second as the electricity flickered over his form, then continued forward unfazed. Quinn tried again, but it was obvious that his weapon was completely ineffective against biosynths. Quinn took a step back and took a swing at him. Rory grabbed him by the throat and lifted him up so that his feet dangled almost a foot off the floor.

"Yoo hoo!" River sang, shooting past his head with her pulse-pistol. "Come now, don't you want a challenge?" Rory's expressionless face turned to her. "What do you think, eh?" River shot out the light over his head. "Who's the real threat: Me or him? I promise you, this baby can do you some damage." Rory's glowing blue eyes scanned her briefly then he dropped Quinn like a forgotten ragdoll and chased after her as she darted off to lead him through the less populated areas of the building. Quinn coughed and choked and gasped in air, watching them disappear down the hall as he lost consciousness.

* * *

><p>"Augh! Come on! Let me out!" The Doctor shouted, pounding on the door in frustration. "Is anyone even listening?" He paused for a moment to listen, before kicking the door angrily and beginning to pace. "Alright. So, no sonic-screwdriver; I'll just have to get myself out the old fashioned way." He searched the drawers of the large, wooden desk that sat against the wall to his left shuffling through them for something he could pick the lock with. He'd just found a sturdy paperclip that'd probably do the trick and crouched down by the doorknob to put it to good use when he heard two new presences arrive out in the hall. He sniffed the air curiously and then frowned. ~Well, that's not a good sign.~<p>

* * *

><p>Two rather large, muscular men joined Koschei and Quinn's unconscious forms in the hall. The shorter of the two was the man in the blue velvet suit that Koschei had noticed in the dance-hall earlier. He eyed the unconscious Timelord briefly before stepping over him to proceed farther down the hall. He signaled his associate with a little wave, prompting him to check on Koschei. Neither of them even bothered to acknowledge the human's presence. The man in the velvet suit closed his eyes, listening closely as he continued down the hall, and stopped right in front of the Doctor's door. He smiled, unlocked, and then knocked sharply on the door.<p>

"He's got a pulse." The taller one reported from where he knelt next to Koschei. The Doctor stood up, pocketing the paperclip and opened the door.

"Hello. Yes, you've got me." He announced lightly. He looked at the man crouched over Koschei. He appeared to be scanning him for injuries.

"He's taken some nasty damage." The dark suited man reported, eyes flicking to the impact crater and the web of cracks Koschei had left in the wall above. "Your orders, Sir?"

"You could help him." The Doctor suggested. "That would be nice of you. Get you on my good side. You'd like it there, believe me."

"I do." The one in blue assured him, looking thoughtful. "Is he stable?" The other nodded. "Then he isn't our problem. We leave him as he is."

"Darius!" The Doctor chastened.

"Don't scold me." Darius corrected. "You're the target. Targets don't scold." He tapped his ear. "Haesha. …Yes, precisely. Setting it now." He clipped a small bead like device onto the Doctor's collar and activated it, tapping a similar device clipped to his lapel and nodded to Thalis. Thalis activated his own and came to stand on the Doctor's other side. "Prepared for transmat." Darius announced and a moment later the three of them were carried away in a transmat beam.

* * *

><p>Amy gave up on looking through the crowded dancehall for any of the others and decided to search instead for a place to sit down. All of the tables appeared to be occupied. She let out a little frustrated huff and turned back to the dance floor. The dancers seemed to part for her, the women's burgundy, gold, or white gowns floating elegantly around them, a contrasting frame for her deep-blue dress. It was as if for that brief moment, time had slowed down for her. She saw an empty loveseat waiting for her on the other side of the gap, then time snapped back to normal and the dancers were blocking her way again. Amy blinked.<p>

"That was weird." She noted, then shrugged and made her way over to the seat. "So.. They've all run off without me. Especially Koschei. Bastard." She took a seat and sat back to watch the dancers. "He's so bloody dramatic! You cannot prevent what is about to happen. It's destiny. Destiny? Honestly Apollo? A time-traveler worried about our destiny. What's next? Fighting vampires?" One of the dancers shot her a funny look. "Alright Amy, no more champagne for you." She added and he lost interest. Amy smoothed out her dress, trying to get a hold of herself and glanced distractedly out the window. Then she did a double take as she registered what she'd just seen. "Shit!" She breathed and hurried out of the dancehall to find the Doctor.

When she was almost to the crime scene she had to duck into an unlocked room at the sound of two worryingly familiar voices approaching from behind her.

"You're certain that was the signal you detected?" Darius demanded. There was a pause while whoever he was talking to responded. Then. "Alright then. No, it's fine. We continue with the plan. …Just leave that to us."

"How do you want to handle this?" Thalis inquired. "If they have one of their own operatives planetside—"

"That's been confirmed."

"It's bound to complicate things." Thalis finished.

"Relax Thalis. I know what I'm doing." Darius assured him. "He could have foreseen this when he contacted us."

"You're certain of that?" Thalis asked skeptically. Darius made a noncommittal sound in his throat.

"Just follow my lead." He concluded. Amy waited until the sound of their footsteps faded before slipping out of her hiding place and following after them. ~Well, at least things can't get much worse.~ She consoled herself, then winced when a little voice in her head that sounded remarkably like the Doctor's said. ~Never say that!~

She reached the end of the hall and hid around the corner, just in time to hear Thalis call:

"He's got a pulse."

Her eyes widened slightly and she hazarded a peek around the corner. The Doctor was standing with Darius, who had made himself up to look like a human. There were two bodies lying on the floor. The far one looked like it could be that Secret Service Agent, and the one that the human-looking-Thalis was crouched over was— Amy ducked back around the corner, barely covering her mouth in time to muffle her shocked gasp.- Koschei. He was lying face down on the floor and the part of his face that was visible was smeared with blood. She closed her eyes, listening carefully.

"He's taken some nasty damage." Thalis reported. "Your orders, Sir?" Amy swallowed. The Doctor was trying to talk Darius into helping him. ~Wait. Did he just call Darius 'Sir'? When did that happen?~

"Is he stable?" There was a pause, then Darius continued, decisively. "Then it isn't our problem. We leave him as he is." Amy closed her eyes and thanked whatever deity was looking out for them. She didn't trust the Collectors nearly as much as the Doctor seemed to.

"Don't scold me. You're the target." Darius said patiently, confirming her theory. "Targets don't scold."

She waited for a few seconds after they'd been transported away, just to be safe, before hurrying over to Koschei. There was a big dent in the wall that had a suspiciously Koschei-like shape to it. Amy's hands hovered over him anxiously, before she gathered her nerve and rolled him over as gently as she possibly could, and tilted his head so that she could get a clear look at his face. There was a cut in his hairline that was bleeding heavily. That was partly responsible for the smear down the side of his face, the other source of blood was a battered and bloody left ear. She winced at the sight of it. His left hand was swollen. Amy strongly suspected that the bones in it were broken.

"Okay. Just… Okay, what now?" She jumped at the sound of Agent Quinn jolting awake.

"What the— Oh! Miss Pond, when did you get here?" He mumbled dazedly.

"Um… Just now?" Amy replied uncertainly, trying to keep calm. "What happened here?"

"Well, Rory…" Quinn's blue eyes widened in realization as he snapped out of his stupor. "Apollo! Your brother! Right!" He jumped up, brushing his dark, wavy hair back and came over to sit next to Amy. He checked Koschei for a pulse.

"He's alive." Amy informed him hastily, but he checked anyway.

"His pulse is a little fast." The Agent observed.

"That's normal." Amy said truthfully. Quinn flashed her a skeptical expression. "Wait. What about Rory?"

"He did this."

"What!" Amy exclaimed as Koschei began to stir.

"River drew him off. That was when I passed out so I'm not sure where they ran off to." Quinn explained. "Hey, easy, pal. Don't try to move just yet." He instructed, grabbing Koschei's shoulders to stop him from getting up. Koschei tried to bat him away, then winced when the movement hurt his injured hand. "That looks broken."

"Oh, does it really?" Koschei responded sarcastically. "Thank you for letting me know." Quinn raised his eyebrows and looked over at Amy.

"Well, he sounds alright." Amy observed. He shrugged and began to try and wrap up Koschei's crushed hand with his handkerchief.

"Where's the Doctor?" Koschei demanded.

"The Collectors took him while you two were unconscious." Amy responded patiently. Quinn paused in wrapping Koschei's hand with a harassed expression.

"The Collectors." He echoed.

"Yeah." Amy confirmed.

"There's more?" He said flatly. Amy nodded.

"Are you done?" Koschei prompted impatiently. Agent Quinn sighed and went back to wrapping his hand.

"The Doctor tried to get them to treat your injuries but—" Amy began, Koschei scoffed.

"Of course he did. Naïve as ever." He remarked, then growled and looked accusingly at Quinn, who was trying to tie off his make shift bandage.

"It wouldn't hurt as much if you'd quit moving." Quinn told him. Koschei narrowed his eyes at the other man before returning his attention to Amy.

"We're in no position to go after them. We'll have to focus on the invaders for now. The Doctor can take care of himself." He concluded. "Ow! Careful primate! That's my dominant hand!"

"Could you hold him?" Quinn requested irritably. Amy grabbed Koschei's wrist, slipping her other arm around his shoulders to support him. "Thank you."

"There's more." Amy said grimly. "I came here to tell you—"

"Ow! Damn you, Pretty-boy!" Koschei snapped as Quinn tied the last knot.

"Pretty boy?" Quinn queried.

"He means thank you." Amy translated. Koschei let out a huff and began to get up.

"Whoa, whoa. I don't know if that's such a good idea. You could have internal injuries." Quinn urged. "Look at the dent you put in the wall, and your pulse is way faster than normal."

"Oh no." Koschei dismissed, ignoring his concern. "It's always like that." He faltered slightly but quickly caught himself and proceeded down the hall, following River's scent. Amy exchanged a look with Quinn and followed after him. "So, they've got a fleet in the sky already?"

"Yes. How did you…?" Amy asked before remembering why and frowning at him. "Right. I was coming to tell you when I saw the Collectors."

"This is becoming ridiculous." Quinn noted. "Now aliens are invading."

"It happens more than you'd expect." Koschei replied casually. "River!" River jogged up to them from the balcony at the other end of the hall.

"I was just going to look for you." She said breathlessly.

"Rory?" Quinn questioned.

"Lost him over the balcony." River explained. "It should buy us some time." Amy looked a tad distraught at the news, so River quickly added. "He'll be fine. Biosynths are amazingly resilient." Then looked up at Koschei. "We have another problem."

"A fleet of flying saucers?" Quinn guessed.

"Along with two more fleets of ships." River confirmed.

"What?" Koschei demanded, making himself cough.

"They're working together."

"Daleks and Cybermen aren't exactly social creatures." Koschei pointed out.

"Neither are Sontarans, even if they are more so, but they do appear to be in collusion." River replied, watching Koschei warily as he coughed again.

"You sure you're alright?" Quinn inquired.

"It's a cough, Pretty-boy. Hardly cause for panic." Koschei replied.

"So they're all working together. What does that mean?" Amy asked.

"Nothing good." Koschei returned, heading for the balcony. "I'd like to see this madness for myself."

"Where's the Doctor?" River inquired.

"The Collectors took him." Amy answered as they headed after Koschei.

"Collectors. That makes six." River noted. "Well at least now that they're all here we know for certain what we're up against." Amy stopped walking.

"You knew!" She accused.

"Amy." Koschei warned forcefully, triggering a coughing fit. "W-we've discussed this. There are rules." Quinn grabbed his arm to steady him. Surprisingly, Koschei didn't even try to resist.

"We need to contact the Doctor." River said. Koschei shook his head.

"He's up there on the Collector's ship somewhere. Even if we could pinpoint the location, we don't have the capacity to take them on at the moment."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"We know what they're after. It's the same plan as before. We find the box first."

* * *

><p>"So, I'm the target now." The Doctor said, looking around at the brightly lit, compact halls of the Collectors' new ship. "That's an interesting change. I don't suppose you'd be willing to sell me who sent you after me."<p>

"That's a matter of perspective." Darius responded cryptically, punching in the key-code to enter the bridge.

"How so?" The Doctor queried. Darius gestured for him to enter the bridge first and he obliged, turning back to watch Thalis seal the door behind them.

"We're secure." Thalis reported, deactivating his comm.-link and pulling off his shimmer device. Darius had already done the same.

"Excellent." Darius acknowledged, turning back to the Doctor.

"What's this?" The Doctor asked interestedly.

"We were hired by the Function to succeed where my brother failed: To kill the Master and capture you. However, Koschei managed to contact us first and offer us a better deal." He gestured for a woman standing in an alcove a few meters behind the Doctor to join them. "The Pandorica is real; that has already been confirmed. The music box everyone is after safeguards its key."

"You want me to help you get to it first." The Doctor concluded.

"Not to the key." Darius clarified. "There's a very good reason for that lock, and I am confident that your people will be able to retrieve the key without us. I propose we take advantage of our enemies' current preoccupation and find the Pandorica itself before any of them can get to it." The Doctor studied Darius carefully for a moment before nodding.

"Alright. I'll help you." He agreed. "What do we know so far?"

"Haesha." Thalis prompted, and the young woman that Darius had summoned patted the Doctor's shoulder and led him over to the view screen's interface port, plugging in a handheld comm.-pad.

"I've been running scans on the building that we've just retrieved you from, for the past few sub-cycles." She explained. "Now we're all familiar with the myth of the Pandorica, I presume?"

"The evil god: a being so powerfully destructive and unstoppable that he threatened the existence of the universe itself, so, all of the many races came together to trap him in a specially-made prison, known as the Pandorica, to prevent him from completing his task." The Doctor recited.

"Exactly." Haesha acknowledged, typing something into her pad. "Now, when I was running my scans, I needed to do a little guess work in order to determine the parameters. Assuming that this so-called evil god was a real sapient being that was locked away at some point during this planets history, I concluded, based on the site's location in the Mutter's Spiral, that he or she would most likely be a humanoid with an approximate size of 140 to 300lbs."

"So either a Terran or a Talarkian." The Doctor noted.

"The two most common humanoid species in this sector." Haesha confirmed, as a diagram appeared on the view-screen. "Given the size and weight of such an object and the lack of its discovery by the locals, I determined that it's hiding place would have to be subterranean. I sent a few probes down into the sewer-system to search for any unexplained caverns below the surface and this is what I found,"

"It looks like they've got a super-secret second basement." The Doctor observed with a smile.

"Can you transmat us inside?" Thalis inquired. Haesha shook her head.

"Sorry, no. The whole chamber is encased in some kind of disruptive shielding. The ship's scanners can't get a lock."

"What about the basement above?" Darius suggested. "We could try and breach the chamber from there."

"The Function's operative might notice any pyrotechnics." Thalis pointed out.

"I'll keep that in mind." Darius replied.

"I can attempt it, but it'll be tricky." Haesha admitted. "I won't be able to pinpoint an exact location within the target area, and once you're down the interference from the disruption-zone is going to play havoc on your tech. I doubt I'll be able to beam you back up. It's likely to scramble your trackers." Darius and the Doctor exchanged a look. The Doctor nodded.

"Thalis, you have the lead while I'm gone." Darius ordered decisively. "If you don't hear from me within the next hour, you will proceed without me, understood?" Thalis nodded curtly. "Good. Haesha, prepare for another transmat. The Doctor and I will be departing as soon as you're ready."

"Yes, Sir."

* * *

><p>When the Doctor and Darius rematerialized in the dark, dusty basement, Darius let out a startled sound and jumped back, having appeared nose to nose with an old, stone statue.<p>

"That is profoundly ugly." He observed, straightening his jumpsuit.

"Yes, it is really." The Doctor agreed looking it over critically. "Antique though, probably criminally over-valued. Come to think of it, it sort of resembles an angry Slitheen. At least you didn't rematerialize a foot or two ahead."

"Thanks for that." Darius responded sarcastically

"Sorry." The Doctor said as Darius tapped his comm.-link and winced at the static, yanking it back out of his ear.

"Comms are down. Let's just get this over with." Darius remarked, pulling a roll of thick explosive cord out of his pocket.

"Roy will probably hear that." The Doctor warned Darius as he placed the explosive in a decent sized circle.

"Rory?"

"He's the biosynth that's been travelling with me. The Function hacked back into his mind somehow. I thought you knew." The Doctor explained. Darius shrugged.

"Need to know." He stated, standing once again. "You'll want to take cover now." The Collector instructed, taking a few steps back as he retrieved the detonator from his other pocket. "Three, two…" He stepped behind a pile of crates and blew the cord. After the dust settled they both walked over to survey the damage.

"Very effective." The Doctor observed, looking at the almost perfect circle blown out of the floor.

"I'll tell Stii you approved." Darius replied, watching the Doctor jump in and then raising an eyebrow at his surprised exclamation before jumping in after him.

"What?" The Doctor repeated incredulously as Darius got up off the floor. It was a bit of a long fall, but nothing too perilous. "That's just… What?"

"Care to elaborate, Doctor?"

"The disruptive shielding." The Doctor said, tossing a chunk of metal to the intrigued alien.

"Yes. It looks like we've breached it nicely."

"I recognize this metal. It doesn't belong here." The Doctor continued tensely. "That's dalekanium. It's not even aged." Darius straightened his posture, becoming more alert. "We aren't the first ones here." Darius pulled out his plasma-gun and charged it. They both turned quickly at the sound of movement from further into the cavern.

"That didn't sound like a Dalek." The Doctor observed. Darius signaled for him to stay back and went to investigate. The Doctor watched his dark silhouette, nearly invisible in the shadows. There was another movement, then a loud electronic whine as he opened fire. "Darius!" The Doctor shouted, seeing the Collectors gun slide towards him across the dirt floor. There was a sound of metal hitting metal and then a flash. Darius' silhouette dropped to the ground right after his attackers. The Doctor cautiously stepped forward trying to see what happened. A cyberman's torso crawled out of the darkness to grab him. He shouted in surprise and kicked it away, taking a few hasty steps back, right into a pair of strong, scaly arms.

"Hello again, Doctor."

"Ms. Not-Stone." The Doctor returned, struggling against her. "Listen to me. It isn't safe, you need to—"

"Oh, don't worry." The Silurian replied. "It will be." The Cyberman dragged itself toward them but stopped short before it could grab hold.

"His accomplice has been incapacitated." It reported.

"What?" The Doctor sputtered.

"Good." The Silurian holding him acknowledged. "I never trusted those hot-bloods anyway." A Dalek came out of the darkness on their left. A Sontaran hopped down from their right.

"No…" The Doctor said, beginning to get a terrible feeling in his gut.

"At least he did his part, despite his treachery." The Sontaran admitted as they began to drag the struggling Doctor farther into the chamber.

"We know you too well, Doctor." The Sontaran continued. "That magpie mind of yours just can't resist a good puzzle." The Pandorica came into view, a large, intricately carved box with a state of the art containment and life-support system inside. It was wide open. The straps on the seat inside looked custom made, they were the perfect size and strength to hold a struggling Timelord."

"No, listen. You can't!" The Doctor shouted, still struggling in vain to break free. There were more Sontarans and Cybermen dropping in through the hole behind him.

"You've become too much of a danger. The universe is dying." The Silurian replied.

"It isn't me!"

"We've been watching you, Doctor." The Dalek returned, as the Silurian and two Sontarans forced him into the Pandorica. "Only you are capable this damage. The cracks appear wherever you and the Master are detected."

"No, you're wrong!" The Doctor argued. "I can help you! I can stop this! You're making a mistake!"

"Just strap him in!" One of his Sontaran captors urged impatiently.

"What do you think I'm trying to do?" The Silurian snapped.

"Let me go!" The Doctor insisted, wrestling an arm free.

"No!" The Silurian exclaimed, moving to snap her tongue out at him, but he grabbed one Sontaran's rifle and knocked her out with it, then its owner. He tried to fight his way out, darting around unpredictably, and causing many of his enemies to take each other out in all the chaos. But a Cyberman grabbed him and pulled him back toward the Pandorica. He shot it in the face and tried again but another one grabbed him. It reached for his face to electrocute him, but someone shot it twice right in the face, causing it to drop him to the ground.

"Exterminate!" The Dalek exclaimed, aiming its gun at Darius as he got up.

"Oh, shut up." He told it in annoyance and stabbed it through the eyestalk with his sword.

"Darius! You're alive!" The Doctor exclaimed in relief, ducking and wincing as Darius hurled his sword past him to impale the last attacking Sontaran.

"That seemed harsh." The Doctor chastened.

"They were planning to do it to me." The Collecter replied with a shrug. "I find it fitting."

"Well… thanks for that, even if I don't approve of your method." The Doctor told him, crossing over to him.

"Don't." Darius replied grimly.

"Wh-" The Doctor began, but broke off as Darius shoved him back into the Pandorica. "No! What are you doing?"

"It was always going to be this way." Darius told him solemnly before knocking him out.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Okay, sorry for the wait guys, but I'm busy at the moment so it's harder to keep up the weekly updates. I am trying I promise. Anyway, this chapter isn't actually betaed yet, but i'm working on it. thanks for reading. Special thanks this time goes to Daughter of the Master and um... Guest for reviewing. As always, please review.


	57. Everything Ends

**Chapter 7: Everything Ends**

"Sontarans, Daleks, Cybermen…" Koschei listed distractedly as they stared up at the suddenly overpopulated night sky.

"Oh, look." Quinn added, pointing up at a new, brightly lit structure sweeping into view. "A new one. There."

"Yes, thank you, Quinn." River remarked drily, turning to Koschei. "I don't know that one." Koschei shrugged.

"I haven't seen it before."

"Is that good or bad?" Amy asked nervously. "Because earlier, you said that—"

"Shh!" Koschei interrupted. "That was between the two of us. Agent Quinn, how much power have you got left in that gun of yours?" The Agent pulled his tesla out of its holster and checked it.

"One shot, maybe two at best, but it won't be anything special." He admitted. Koschei went still as a statue for a moment. Only his eyes were scanning back and forth.

"Um... Are you alright?" Amy asked, studying him.

"He's just processing." River informed her matter-of-factly. "This one does that."

Koschei seemed to snap back to life a split second later.

"Change of plans. River and Amy, I need you to keep watch on Rory for a while. He shouldn't harm you as long as you stay out of his way."

"He 'shouldn't'?" Amy echoed. Koschei shrugged, and coughed again.

"He probably won't. If he does, shoot him with my laser." He paused to stare at her. "You do have the laser?" Amy pulled it out of her cleavage. Koschei smirked. "Really?"

"Shut up!" Amy snapped defensively, fussing with the skirt of her dress. "These things don't have pockets!"

"I understand." Koschei replied, still smirking.

"Where are _you_ going?" Amy shot back.

"Down." Koschei responded, walking back inside. "Agent Quinn and I will be following after the Doctor. He's planetside now." River narrowed her eyes at him. "Didn't I mention that?"

"No." River returned, sounding displeased. Amy watched the exchange closely. "And I think it's a bad idea."

"Thank you for your input." Koschei dismissed, stepping into the stairwell. "Agent Quinn?" The other man hesitated for a second, looking torn, before following after him.

"Sorry." He said guiltily as he passed Amy.

"Look after him." Amy called as he made his way down the stairs.

"Yes, Ma'am." He confirmed, disappearing from view.

* * *

><p>Koschei leaned back against the wall, coughing harshly as they reached the first landing.<p>

"You're hurt pretty badly, aren't you?" Quinn said quietly, leaning closer to Koschei as the coughing fit died down again.

"I'll manage." Koschei assured him.

"You need a hospital." Quinn argued, grabbing his hand to expose the hidden smear of blood on his palm. "You're bleeding internally."

"An excellent insight, _Dr. Quinn_. A hospital can't help me."

"Because you're an alien?"

"You _are_ smarter than you look."

"Thank you. I think." Quinn replied, pausing as a blonde walked past them, eyeing them curiously. "Look, you're coughing up blood. You can't keep pushing yourself like this."

"I obviously can." Koschei corrected. Then they both stopped and looked after the blonde. "She smelled wrong."

"Like a lizard, right?" Quinn guessed.

"Let me guess…" Koschei responded, finishing in unison with Agent Quinn. "That was Stone."

* * *

><p>"So how are we supposed to handle Rory anyway?" Amy inquired as she and River searched the halls on the second floor. All of the other partygoers were mysteriously absent, but River seemed strangely oblivious to that fact.<p>

"We'll manage." River replied. "All we have to do is keep watch on him. That shouldn't be too difficult." She stopped, frowning. "He wouldn't still be on the ground floor right now…"

"Maybe he's fighting it." Amy theorized hopefully.

"Or maybe he knows the Doctor was taken off planet." River thought aloud.

"But he's returned, remember?" Amy reminded her.

"Oh, you knew about that?" A familiar voice said from down the hall to their right, drawing both their attention.

"Darius!" Amy accused, aiming the Master's laser-screwdriver at him. Darius held his hands up in a placating gesture.

"Calm down. No need for that." He responded evenly. "I'm not here to—Oh, there's Rory."

River turned to her left, following the Collector's gaze and got a single shot off before Rory knocked her out. Amy let out a little, startled shriek and leapt back. The blue lights of Rory's eyes looked to her.

"Rory, wait! I know this isn't you. You have to fight it!" Amy urged. He looked her over for another second before taking a step towards her. "Shit." She breathed tightly, taking a hasty step back. Darius aimed his plasma-gun at Rory. "No! Don't hurt him!"

"Come this way, Miss Pond." Darius directed, continuing to aim his weapon at her fiancé.

"What? No. Why should I trust you?" Amy replied, as she pressed herself back against the wall to avoid Rory's reach. "You threatened to kill Koschei, kidnapped the Doctor, and are presently aiming a gun at my future husband!"

"I won't shoot him if you give me an alternative." Darius told her. Amy glared at him, then looked back at Rory.

"I know you don't want to hurt me." She assured him stubbornly. "You can fight this. I know you. You'd never do anything to harm me."

"That's naïve." Darius muttered, unimpressed. Amy ignored him. Rory was now close enough to reach her, but she didn't even flinch, just stared determinedly up at him. There were a number of other alien threats coming towards them from either end of the hall.

"Come on Rory. You don't want to do this." She persisted. He paused and looked at her face. His eyes flickered. "Yes!" They returned to the strange blue lights once more.

"Run." Rory said, in a malfunctioning voice, before reaching forward to grab her. Darius shot him.

"No!" Amy cried but still ran towards Darius. He grabbed her by the arm and clipped a tracker onto the shoulder-strap of her dress.

"Wait. What about River?" Amy exclaimed. Darius ignored her, tapping his comm. link.

"Haesha! Get us out of here, now!" He commanded, and they were carried away in a transmat beam before Rory could reach them.

* * *

><p>"Hey, come take a look at this." Agent Quinn called over his shoulder, looking at Darius and the Doctor's little addition to the basement floor. Koschei staggered over to look. He was really beginning to feel the effects of his injuries now. Koschei surveyed the hole appraisingly before sitting down with his legs dangling over the edge. "Wh—No. No, <em>I<em> am going down there to find the Doctor. You need to stay here and rest."

"Since when are you in charge?" Koschei responded irritably.

"Since I'm the one who isn't badly injured." Quinn returned. "We don't even know how deep this is."

"My species is better with heights."

"Not in your condition."

The two of them stared each other down for a short while before Agent Quinn just shrugged and leapt into the hole. Koschei looked after him, thoughtfully.

"Don't even think about it." Came Quinn's, slightly winded-sounding voice from the darkness below.

"So it wasn't too deep then." Koschei observed. Then sighed and lay back on the edge of the opening with his hands tucked behind his head.

"It was _this_ close." Came the reply. Koschei smiled slightly.

"Keep me apprised." He called back.

"No kidding. You'd better keep talking." Quinn called back as he ventured farther into the cavern. "I don't want to climb all the way back up there just to find a corpse."

"Your concern is flattering, Pretty boy."

"You are not calling me Pretty boy."

"What do you see?" Koschei queried, adding. "GQ." As an afterthought.

"Keep trying." Quinn called back. Koschei remained quiet, waiting for an answer to his question. "There's not much to see so far. It's pitch dark and mostly empty except a couple dead-looking Cybermen… Oh hey! This one's been cut in half!"

"I'm coming down."

"No, stay there."

"I can see in the dark better than you can."

"Mazeltov."

"You need me."

"Give me a minute to prove you wrong."

"Angel eyes."

"Okay, come down." Quinn amended. Koschei dangled his leg over the edge. "I wasn't serious!" Quinn snapped, then went silent.

"Agent Quinn?" Koschei called after the silence began to stretch. "Quinn?" No reply. He began to sit up, readying himself to take the leap when the Secret Service Agent finally responded.

"Yes, I'm still here." Koschei lay back, hearing echoing footsteps as the human jogged back to the opening. "I think I found something. …How are you feeling?"

"Wonderful. What have you found?"

"Um… A big box sorta thing." Quinn answered, eyeing Koschei uncertainly. "You sure you're ok?"

"I'm dying, of course I'm not ok!" Koschei snapped.

"Apoll— No!" Agent Quinn shouted, pulling his Tesla-gun as he saw a pair of strong, reptilian arms wrap around Koschei's neck from behind. He hesitated to shoot when the two were in such close contact, not wanting to worsen his cohort's condition. Koschei clawed fiercely at the Silurian's arms as she cut off his oxygen.

"Don't fight." Stone purred. "It'll all be over soon." He stopped clawing at her arms. Instead, he shut his eyes, holding onto them. She frowned in confusion for a moment, then screamed in pain as his palms began to spark, hastily pulling away. Koschei flopped back onto the edge of the opening coughing nastily. Stone pulled out a dagger and moved to stab him in the back, but Quinn shot her with his Tesla.

"Thank you." Koschei coughed, rolling limply into the hole. Quinn ran over to him.

"Apollo? Hey, Apollo! Stay with me!" He said, patting Koschei's too pale cheeks. The Timelord's lips were stained with blood. "Come on."

Koschei coughed and his eyes fluttered open.

"Scared you." He rasped out weakly. Quinn let out a heavy sigh in relief.

"Yeah." He admitted.

"Run out of time." Koschei added, cueing another coughing fit. A little blood began to dribble down his chin. Quinn winced.

"Damn it!" He swore and pulled a slender metal box out of his jacket pocket.

"No… No time to call help."

"Easy." Quinn replied distractedly, oblivious of the change in the cavern around them. "Don't try to talk." There were two Cybermen and a Dalek moving closer, behind him.

"Too late." Koschei continued, his voice almost a whisper.

"That's not true." Quinn insisted, opening the device in his hands to call for assistance. Koschei flopped a hand down on top of it.

"No. 'T's all over." He clarified. "'vrything." Quinn frowned at him, finally noticing the strange bright-light shining on the other man's face, and the way that he was resolutely refusing to look at its source. He began to turn his head to look and saw a Cyberman behind him transfixed by the light, being wiped from existence in the blink of an eye. "No! Don' look. Won't exist." Koschei warned. Quinn snapped his gaze back to the alien's face, feeling a chill go through him. Koschei gasped out a laugh. "F'ckit!" Before Quinn could even react, he looked.

* * *

><p>"What's going on? What do you want with me?" Amy demanded as Darius led her forcibly to the bridge. He mutely typed in the security code and shoved her inside. Thalis hurried over to seal the door when she tried to dart back out again, forcing Darius to grab hold of her. "Let me go!" Darius looked over his shoulder at Thalis.<p>

"We're secure." The other Collector reported. Darius pushed her back into the Captain's seat and deactivated his comm. link. Amy took a quick look around for an escape route. There were none in sight. However she did notice that all the Collectors on board were avoiding the view-screen.

"Finally." Darius remarked, cracking his neck. "You really are quite a handful. I'll give you that. I've been directed to keep you safe at all costs."

"Directed by whom?" Amy asked warily, rising from the Captain's chair and darting over to stand with her back to the view-screen. None of the crew seemed to want to look at her now.

"By the Master." Darius replied, his eyes fixed intently on hers.

"Sorry, what?" Amy asked incredulously.

"The universe is disintegrating." Thalis explained without glancing in her direction. "We need a patch."

"I don't follow." Amy said. ~_Yep, it's definitely not just me. There's something funny going on here.~_

"Neither do I, to be honest," Darius admitted. "But regardless of that, I do understand the damage that a paradox can do, so I'm sorry but—"

"Don't lie. You aren't." Amy interjected icily. Thalis tried to hide his smile.

"I have to send you to the Pandorica Chamber." Darius finished as if she hadn't spoken. Amy studied him with an unreadable expression then turned around to look at the view-screen that everyone was avoiding. The others tensed in anticipation, the girl standing off to her left gasped. The view-screen showed an Earth below them that was surrounded with massive glowing cracks. Amy swallowed and stumbled back to lean against a console, feeling overwhelmed. The Planet itself seemed to be relatively untouched, which was a small comfort, but the space around it was riddled with impossible swaths of empty light.

"So it's true." Darius observed interestedly. "We did hope it was." Amy looked back at him with wide brown eyes. "You're immune." He clarified, then turned to address the other woman. "Haesha, ready for transmat. I have a feeling there isn't time to spare."

"We still can't aim." Haesha informed him. "…Anywhere on Earth, actually." Darius looked over at Amy.

"She'll make it." He said putting a hand on her shoulder. "She has to." Amy looked from him to the view-screen; even as she watched, the gaps were spreading.

"I don't know what to do." She said weakly.

"When you get to the cavern you need to make a run for the Pandorica. River will have the key by now. She'll be ready for you. You need to squeeze into it before the light reaches you."

"Squeeze in?"

"You'll need a Timelord with you. The Doctor's the best choice."

"What about the others?"

"They won't be missed." Darius remarked. Amy spun round and slapped him hard across the face.

"You bastard!"

"There's only room for two. We're trying to save existence itself now. Casualties are to be expected." Darius pointed out, touching his, now purplish, cheek. Amy glared murderously at him.

"Prepared for transmat." Haesha reported

"Oh, do it. Now." Darius ordered. "Good luck." He added as Amy disappeared from the bridge.

* * *

><p><strong>.<strong>

**A/N:** So here you go. The second to last chapter... probably. Sorry it took me so long to post it. Anyway, thanks for reading this. Special thanks to Elura Seregin for reviewing. I know I'm being a bit seldom right now, but your feedback really does help.


	58. The Girl Who Dreamed of Starlight

**Chapter 8: The Girl Who Dreamed of Starlight**

"Dear Santa, thanks for all the dolls and pencils, and the fish. I know it's not your time of year now, and I hope I didn't wake you. But honestly it's an emergency; everyone's forgotten." Nine-year-old Amelia prayed, kneeling down with her palms pressed together over her bed. "The whole world has changed and no one else notices. They all think I just have an imaginary friend and an overactive imagination, but it's real, Santa. I know it is. Could you please send someone to help me, anyone: a doctor, or a policeman or…someone who remembers." She sat in silence for a moment, hoping for a sign of her prayer being answered. There was only silence. "Thanks in advance." She finished and climbed into bed.

That night she dreamed of other planets, and androids, and stars, and many other, equally impossible things. Some things, like a familiar voice shouting 'Geronimo' excitedly, or a pair of shining, ocher eyes smiling at her mischievously seemed far more real than they ought to.

* * *

><p>"Amelia. Time for breakfast." Aunt Sharon called up the stairs the next morning. Amelia got up and dressed at her usual, lagging pace, not really looking forward to one more day as Amelia-the-hallucinating-weirdo. She wandered sleepily down the stairs but stopped halfway down at the sight of something being shoved through the mail-slot.<p>

An oddly familiar profile paused on the other side of the front door, then disappeared to the sound of running footsteps. It almost looked like one of the characters from the strange dream she'd had last night.

"No post on Sundays." She thought aloud and hurried down the last few steps to scoop up the envelope. Inside it was a pamphlet for the new Pandorica Exhibit. There was a slip of stationary tucked between the folds of glossy paper. She pulled it out and read the carefully written note:

'Amy-

It's all real. They just can't remember. Help is here. I promise.

-Rory'

Amelia yanked the door open and ran outside, looking around for any sign of her apparently not-so-imaginary-friend, but he was already long gone.

"Where'd you run off to?" Amelia murmured, searching for any sign of him. Her aunt came out into the front yard and put her hands on her hips.

"Amelia Pond, where do you think you're running off to at this time of the morning?"

"I was just…" Amelia trailed off, thinking it was probably best not to mention the letter.

"Come back inside and let's have some breakfast." Aunt Sharon prompted with a sigh. By the end of the meal, Amelia had talked Aunt Sharon into letting her go visit the Pandorica Exhibit on Monday. That was almost enough of a victory to keep her playing along with the illusion for the rest of the day. She did try, but shortly after dinner that evening, her aunt caught her 'imagining' again when she looked over Amelia's shoulder at a picture she was drawing.

"What's this you've drawn, Love?" Aunt Sharon inquired in a slightly patronizing voice. Amelia stopped drawing and chewed her lip uncomfortably for a moment before answering.

"This is our house." She explained. "See, here's our shed, and this is meant to be the tree out front—I got the shape a bit wonky but it's close enough—and this is you, and that's me…"

"What are all those yellow bits?"

"It's a night scene." Amelia hedged pointlessly. She vaguely remembered someone close to her mentioning once that lies and misdirection were more successful when based in truth. She could hear his voice with perfect clarity, but hadn't the faintest idea when they'd met or when he'd gone away again, which meant that he was another of the Lost People.

"A night scene…" Aunt Sharon echoed, surprised by her terminology, before brushing it off and continuing. "Alright that's very nice, but what on earth are these?" She persisted, pointing to the yellow star-shapes in Amelia's drawing.

"They're not on Earth. They're stars." Amelia replied simply, already knowing what would happen next. Aunt Sharon looked down at her with a concerned, sympathetic expression and held out her hand.

"Come here, Love." She prompted gently, leading Amelia outside to stand on their doorstep and look up at the sky. Aunt Sharon gestured up at the darkness above them while Amelia tried not to look shocked. "You see?" Aunt Sharon asked in the same mildly patronizing tone. Amelia swallowed and did her best impression of Jyun. _~Who?~_ She let that puzzle distract her from the shock as Aunt Sharon spoke again. "No stars, nothing but the black, just as it always was." Amelia looked up into the woman's well-meaning face, feeling resigned and nodded mutely. "You have such a wonderful imagination. You're going to use it to dream up great things when youre older, I can see it." Aunt Sharon assured her. "But let's try to remember they are just dreams for now, eh?"

"Yes, I know." Amelia recited. "They're not real."

* * *

><p>Rory strolled down the stairs, doing his usual rounds in the museum. He had taken on a job as one of their security guards in order to stick close to the others. A tour group walked past him as he entered the gallery, on their way to view the Pandorica Exhibit. He smiled to himself as he caught sight of the little girl at the tail end of the group, sipping idly at her fountain drink and more or less ignoring all the displays they passed by.<p>

"About time, Mini-Pond." He remarked quietly to himself, then smiled at his own behavior. "Okay, I've been spending too much time around Koschei." His expression sobered as he caught up with the tour group right in time to hear the guide talk about the two mysterious statues that were found beside the Pandorica. He eyed the wounded statue somberly before snapping himself out of it. Now was the time to focus. They couldn't afford any screw ups. Amelia finally noticed him lingering by the doorway and he gave her a friendly smile and a little wave. ~This is beyond strange.~ He reflected as she hesitated, eyeing the tour guide, then skillfully drifted away from the rest of the group undetected while they continued on. As soon as the guide was out of sight she came over to join him.

"I knew you were real." She declared by way of greeting.

"I certainly am." Rory agreed with a fond smile. "I'm glad you still remember. I wasn't sure you would." Amelia stayed silent, eyeing Koschei's 'statue' with a troubled expression. "Do you remember him?" Rory asked, studying her face. Amelia frowned.

"I'm not sure. He's familiar, but something isn't right."

"Oh, okay, well you should keep with the rest of the tour for now. We can't do anything about it with people around." Rory told her, shooing her away when the radio attached to his hip beeped. Amy went and caught up with the group, following them for only the time it took her to finish her fountain drink, then slipped off to hide somewhere safe until closing time.

* * *

><p>Rory stepped into the viewing station that evening then stopped short, doing a little double-take at the empty room before him. Cameras one through six were offline. He tried to check the feeds.<p>

"Oh, they don't exist. Well that's just…" He pulled out his radio to check on Andy the other guard on shift. "Terrifying. Andy? Andy, this is Rory. You've missed the check in, mate. Please respond." Nothing but static. "Anderson Mitchell, do you copy?" Still no response. Rory blew out a tense sigh and lifted the radio to his lips again, then stilled. He couldn't remember who he was calling. He was the only guard on duty, like always. "Then why do I have a radio?" He thought aloud. The next second, he was speeding down the stairs to check on the Pandorica Exhibit. There was no one else to be seen in the museum. It wasn't even time to close. He was the only person he could remember ever working here besides the owner. "Amelia? Amelia? Where are you? Answer me!" Rory called out worriedly, running a hand through his graying hair as he circled the Pandorica. "Are you still here? Amelia?"

"Calm down. No need to shout." Amelia told him patiently as she strolled into the room behind him, looking a little cramped. He ran over and knelt down in front of her, making sure for himself that she was indeed unharmed. "That was fast. It can't be closing time already, can it?" Amelia observed. Rory pulled her into a tight hug before standing and leading her over to the Pandorica.

"No, it isn't." He confirmed, searching his pockets for the one key he never let anyone know about. "They've been erased. Bollocks."

"It's in your breast pocket." Amelia prompted long-sufferingly, in the same tone she always used when she thought he was doing something loveably thick. He tried said pocket and, naturally, there it was.

"Okay. Weird. How did you know that?"

"It's where you always misplace the important pocket-sized stuff." Amy explained patiently, holding out her hand. "Ever since you were a kid."

"That's why it's weird. Here, it's the key-no- half the key actually." Rory said awkwardly, handing the little thimble-like device over to Amelia. "You're the other half."

"I am? What am I supposed to do with it?" Amelia queried with admirable calm, slipping the thimble onto her finger. As soon as it was on all the way, her hand slapped onto one of the flat, stone circles on the nearest side of the Pandorica and turned it counter-clockwise until it lit up. "Oh." Amelia remarked, as Rory stared down at her in surprise. "I guess I do that." She looked at her hand and then gestured with the other encouragingly. "Well then, um… by all means, continue." She prompted, sounding understandably uncertain, and her hand obliged, continuing to turn the circles before them in a seemingly random pattern until they were all glowing. Rory and Amelia waited expectantly for something more to happen. When nothing else did, Rory hesitantly broke the silence.

"Um… What now?" He questioned awkwardly. Amelia shrugged. There was a cough from somewhere inside the Pandorica that sounded like it was probably the Doctor's. A muffled voice objected almost immediately.

"Ack… Gross Doctor! That went right into my face! Honestly!" Ah, that was Amy.

"I couldn't help it!" The Doctor defended. "I had to cough and your face was in my face."

"Guys?" Rory said clearing his throat.

"What? Oh, sorry. Just a moment." The Doctor replied. "Ow! Amy you've got your knee in…"

"Sorry, I was trying to—Elbow, Doctor!" Amy's voice added. Rory and Amelia exchanged a look.

"Sorry again. You ready?" The Doctor asked. "Alright, here we go." The doors to the Pandorica were slowly forced open from within.

"Stand back, Stupid." Amy prompted irritably when she almost knocked into Rory. He wordlessly gave her space and she managed to extricate herself, and then the Doctor, from their cramped prison. "Thanks." She paused and narrowed her eyes at Amelia. "Okay, that's weird."

"You have no idea." Rory responded. Amelia and Amy surveyed each other appraisingly before looking to the Doctor in perfect unison. "Doctor, explain." They demanded.

"Ooh, no, please don't." The Doctor requested wincing. "I've been locked up for too long to handle Amy in stereo. I think I've got a hang over. I don't even drink and I have a hang over!"

"Doctor!" Amy snapped, bringing him back to the problem at hand. "The universe is falling apart. How are we going to fix it?"

"Right, the universe. We need to find the source of that explosion." The Doctor said, reaching into his pocket, and frowning when he remembered. "I need a screwdriver. Koschei took mine."

"Here." Amy said, holding up the Master's laser. "What do I do?"

"Electromagnetic field scan…" The Doctor said, coming to look at it over her shoulder. He grabbed her other hand and used it to turn a dial and hit a button. "There, and… there."

"Ow!" Amy objected, popping her abused finger into her mouth. "Next time use your words."

"Mmnhmm." The Doctor responded, distractedly. "Follow the light. It should lead us to the origin."

"He probably won't use them, will he?" Amelia remarked to Rory as they followed the others up the stairs. Rory shrugged.

* * *

><p>"It's here, well it's… up. I can't tell what else that means." Amy explained helplessly, frowning at the laser-screwdriver in her hands. The Doctor's face had gone stone serious.<p>

"Look up." He said grimly. Amy glanced over her shoulder at him.

"What?"

Rory and Amelia were staring up at the sky uncertainly.

"It's not a sun." The Doctor clarified. Amy looked up at the sky to see what he meant.

"Oh my God." Rory muttered, at a loss. "I chased River into the TARDIS before the program finished. She said she'd help prevent this but…"

"I don't understand." Amy said, looking questioningly at the others.

"She never showed up." Rory recalled looking nauseous.

"That's because she's still up there." The Doctor elaborated. Amy's eyes widened and she stared back up at the sun that wasn't a sun covering her mouth with one hand. She jumped when the screwdriver beeped urgently. The Doctor darted forward and grabbed her wrist, inspecting the device with interest.

"It's beeping. Why is it beeping?" Amy inquired, studying his expression.

"It's still picking up a signal." The Doctor explained. "Oh, you beauty! The TARDIS is still protecting her! It's locked her in a time loop. It hasn't quite decayed completely." His face fell "But I can't get her out…Not without a teleport field or a—" Rory wordlessly held River's wrist-strap out to him.

"It broke down in the seventies. I had to keep the jumps brief even before then, as you can see." Rory said, pointing to his graying hair. "But I figure it's worth a try."

"Yes, good. Brilliant! Thank you, Rory!" The Doctor exclaimed, fiddling with a few wires before gesturing for Amy to come help him. "I need you to use that setting here, and here. Ah, this is so… Trust the Master to lock me out of using the necessary tools! And… There. Thank you Amy." The Doctor pressed a button on the newly programmed device, and in a flash, River was with them on the roof, looking rather surprised and winded. She looked up at the sky.

"Oh dear… Time-loop?"

"Yes. It was the only way she could protect you." The Doctor confirmed.

"I suppose I'd better thank her when this is all sorted." River said, looking Amelia over with a raised eyebrow. She returned her attention to the Doctor. "Where's Koschei?"

"We'd better get a move on. Not much time left before…Well, not much time left." The Doctor said quickly, pushing past her into the museum stairwell. River followed right on his heels, with the others not far behind.

"You've avoided the question. Why? What's happened?" River persisted. The Doctor sped his pace. She sped right up with him. "Tell me. Why are you being like this?"

"The universe is ending. Let's stay on topic."

"Pfft. Please Doctor, remember who you're talking to. This'd hardly be the first time." River dismissed. "You don't leave friends behind."

"Don't say _that_." Amelia remarked, from behind them. Amy shushed her, sensing the tension building in the air. The Doctor jogged mutely ahead into the room where the Pandorica Exhibit was being kept.

"Doctor—" River continued to push, but broke off abruptly when she caught sight of the two statues that he was standing beside. "Oh no."

"Wh… Is that?" Amy queried dazedly as she stared at the horrifyingly-real stone figures before them. "But that can't be them…No, this isn't—They're here, right? So you can fix this! You can save them." River put a hand on Amy's shoulder, but she shrugged it off. "No. Doctor? Say something. What do we do?"

"I'm sorry." The Doctor said numbly, still staring down at Koschei's face. "They're gone. I don't know how to fix this."

"But they're right there. We can all see them."

"Ask him." The Doctor returned, nodding to Rory. Amy's brow furrowed in confusion. "Rory, you remember him?" He asked, pointing to Quinn's stone face.

"Umm…"

"What was his name?" The Doctor tried again, tonelessly. Rory stared, showing no recognition. "Did you ever meet him? What did he sound like? _When_ did you meet him?"

"Enough, Doctor. She gets the point." River cut in sternly. "What about the cracks? How do we stop the explosion?"

"I don't know!" The Doctor shouted, causing her to jump. Amelia instinctively grabbed onto the adult nearest to her, who turned out to be Amy herself.

"Amy, no!" Rory cried out, starting forward as the two were engulfed in a flash of light. River grabbed him and held him back.

"Amy?" The Doctor tried cautiously as the smoke cleared.

"Er…I think I'm okay." Amy replied, sounding surprised. "I feel better now. What was that?"

"Well…" The Doctor replied, shrugging. "Wibbly wobbly—"

"Forget it." Rory said, picking himself up off the floor.

"That should have been a paradox." River observed.

"Sorry to disappoint, but time hasn't been working right for at least a decade." Rory remarked, hugging Amy.

"Whoa…" Amy said when he released her, stumbling to the side a few steps and catching herself on one of the statues. "Oh, ew… Sorry." She told the statue letting it go.

"So what do we do?" River asked the Doctor.

"I don't know!"

"Doctor…" Amy began.

"We would need to cancel it out, create an imbalance to oppose this one."

"With you so far." Rory encouraged.

"Only there isn't one!" The Doctor snapped, frustrated. "We're at the edge of the precipice. Everything's gone! There's nothing left to work with but one barely populated little planet and a handful of depressing after-images!" The Doctor ranted.

"Doctor…" Amy tried again.

"There is nothing left!" The Doctor yelled, turning on Amy.

"That's overly dramatic of you, Theta." Koschei remarked. "Doesn't sound like you at all." Everyone's gaze landed on the miraculously flesh-and-blood Timelord.

"What?" The Doctor breathed, his rage completely forgotten.

"Kos—How?" Rory questioned "I am now totally confused."

"Well then, at least we can take solace in that small hint of normality." Koschei remarked drily, collapsing to lie on his back on the floor and coughing up blood. The Doctor dropped to the floor beside him, pulling him into his lap while River knelt down on his other side scanning him with her wrist strap. "Easy, Tiger. People might get the wrong idea." Koschei quipped, coughing again.

"River?" The Doctor prompted, ignoring it. River swallowed and shook her head grimly.

"Oh, don't look so low." Koschei wheezed. "I should've been dead all this time."

"Don't say that." The Doctor objected, wiping some of the blood off his old friend's face.

" 'T's true." Koschei persisted calmly. "Nothing escapes a timelock."

"You did."

"Impossible." Koschei coughed, then smiled. "This time we get to say goodbye."

"You hate goodbyes." The Doctor reminded him, his grip tightening as if trying hold him there out of shear will.

"Isn't about me." Koschei replied. He sighed. "You'll figure it out." He muttered, letting his eyes fall shut.

"No, no, please…" The Doctor whispered as the body in his arms went limp. He went still for a moment, his eyes squeezed shut and his jaw tense before he carefully laid Koschei's lifeless body down on the floor and stood up.

"I killed him." Rory realized, in stunned disbelief.

"Stop that." The Doctor corrected, beginning to pace.

"Sweetie…" River began, but he shushed her.

"Quiet. Thinking." He said distractedly, running a hand through his hair. He was muttering to himself this time. The others tried to listen in at first until they realized he was speaking in Gallifreyan. Amy and Rory looked askance at River.

"I'm not that fluent." She admitted, standing up and stepping closer to the Doctor. "Doctor, I know this is a difficult time but—"

"Impossible!" The Doctor shouted unexpectedly, stopping his pacing to look at the others. He looked slightly mad, but knowing him, that could mean anything.

"I know there isn't a lot to work with but—"

"No! _Impossible_." The Doctor corrected impatiently, as if this explained everything. The others stared at him blankly. "It's so obvious, we just didn't see it! The answer was literally staring me in the face all this time and I didn't notice! We already have everything we need. We have all along!"

"Because it's impossible?" Rory questioned uncertainly.

"Exactly! Now you're getting it!"

"No actually, we really aren't." Amy disagreed. The Doctor let out a huff and darted over to stare into her eyes.

"Oh, he's doing that again. We must be fine then." Rory remarked.

"Doctor, what are you doing?" Amy asked, then did a double take. "Where's River?"

"Who?" Rory questioned. Amy's eyes widened and she swallowed. _~And then there were three.~_ She thought darkly.

"Tell me, Amelia, what were you doing just before Koschei was reanimated?"

"Um… Okay, I lost my balance and caught myself on his shoulder."

"That's all?"

"Well, yeah… Why?"

"Impossible."

"Stop saying that please. I don't know what you're expecting. I just caught myself on his shoulder and then I let go. I didn't like seeing him that way, that's all."

"Because he's your friend."

"Yeah."

"And you missed him."

"Yes! What are you on about?"

"It's you." The Doctor concluded. "It was always you. You're impossible. You both are. That's the solution."

"You've lost it." Amy decided, stepping away. "And we don't have time for this. We have to do something."

"Think about it, Amelia. _Really_ think about it. Why this planet? Why are _we_ the last to fall away?"

"I don't know. Not because of me." Amy denied, shaking her head.

"You don't make sense. Where are your parents?"

"I don't have any parents." Amy responded immediately.

"Why where'd they go?"

"I just don't…"

"You wanted him back. You remembered him, because you're immune somehow. You grew up beside the cracks. You probably spent your whole life absorbing all of that temporal radiation but you survived and developed a resistance somehow. Even when your parents were gone you continued to exist. You're the key."

"I can't…" Amy trailed off. She didn't know why it had never occurred to her before, but the more she thought back the more it made sense. "I don't know how to stop this." She admitted, feeling utterly overwhelmed.

"All you need to do is remember." The Doctor assured her walking up to her.

"It can't be that simple." Rory pointed out solemnly. Amy made the mistake of looking over the Doctor's shoulder and saw that there was now nothing but empty blackness on the other side of the doorway.

"Oh God!" She exclaimed grabbing the Doctor's sleeve as she almost fainted in shock. He put a hand under her chin and forced her to look at him.

"It's probably best not to look." He said quickly. She nodded in agreement and avoided the sight obediently.

"Could it be that simple?" Amy inquired hopefully. "Say it is."

"Rory." The Doctor prompted letting her go and jogging over to fiddle with the wiring in the Pandorica. Rory hurried over and took his place at Amy's side. "We have to create an opposing force. Preferably one equal to this one." The Doctor explained as he worked. "The Pandorica was designed with a state of the art stasis system. It uses a temporal-spatial conservation unit. It's function technology similar to the Enigma Device they used back on Base Octavia. That's why we haven't aged a day since the fifties. It can preserve time itself."

"You want to cause a cascade." Rory determined.

"Exactly."

"That's insane."

"I know, but it's our best shot. You AI were always perfectionists." The Doctor responded, tossing an unwanted circuit away haphazardly. "I'm betting this thing is loaded with your full archive of bio-imprints, just in case." Rory considered that for a moment.

"That's a pretty safe bet." He admitted. "But for your plan to work you'd have to detonate right on the edge of the void. Whoever pilots would be instantly erased."

"I've thought of that." The Doctor said easily.

"Oh good. What's your plan?" Amy piped up, straightening her posture and crossing the room to assist him when she saw him beckoning her over.

"I need you to solder this here, here, here, and…here." He instructed, carefully watching her do so. "And use this setting here. Perfect. Thank you. Oh, and I need that inserted in this slot." Amy paused narrowing her eyes at him. He let out an impatient huff. "Amelia, we're out of time here. Just trust me." She reluctantly did as he'd requested.

"You didn't explain how we were going to position your bomb."

"I know." The Doctor said. With a couple lightning-fast movements he had positioned himself in the seat and strapped himself in.

"No!" Amy exclaimed, reaching for his arm.

"Grab her! Now, Rory!" The Doctor ordered and to her horror, he obeyed, grabbing her around the waist and pulling her back.

"Rory! Let me go! It'll kill him!" Amy shouted as the Pandorica's systems began to power up.

"Amy. Listen to me. Calm down." The Doctor urged.

"No." Amy replied, but she stopped struggling.

"You can fix this. Amy, we can save the universe. All you have to do is remember, I promise. I'll do the rest." Amy sniffed, taking a step forward then looked over her shoulder as she realized Rory's absence.

"I can't remember everything in the universe."

"I know." The Doctor pulled her forward pressing his hands to the sides of her head and she saw billions different faces, and forms, and images, different species, times, and planets throughout the universe. She gasped and stumbled back. Feeling giddy and a tad feverish with all that transferred knowledge in her head. "Better hurry now." The Doctor noted. "That transfer has a very brief shelf life. Good luck Amelia Pond." And with that he activated the Pandorica and hurtled away into the void. Amy stumbled to her feet, straightening her dress absently as the bright light of the temporal distortion spread towards her. She shut her eyes, focusing on all the memories and images and willing them to exist with all her might as the explosion swept over her.

* * *

><p>Amy gasped, her eyes snapping open and frowned, sitting up. She was in an endless, white, space. She made the mistake of looking down as she got to her feet and discovered she was standing on nothing at all.<p>

"What the hell?" Amy thought aloud, there was a flicker of faces and names and places, all around her that lasted less than a second. "Okay…" She spun round hearing footsteps approaching behind her. It was herself.

"I remember what you're thinking." The other Amy observed, then winced. "Sorry. It's less freaky from my perspective. …You'll see."

"So you're what? Me in the future?" Amy guessed. "How does that work?"

"I'm- We're in the center of the distortion." Future Amy explained "I think it sort of suspended us everywhere all the time for a while."

"That doesn't make any sense." Amy observed.

"I know. I think this is one of those wibbly-wobbly—" Future Amy began.

"Timey-Wimey things?" Amy finished.

"Exactly. This is when I finish. What was it next? Oh right. You've got to get to Gallifrey." Future Amy said before vanishing.

"Gallifrey?" Amy echoed in confusion. "How do I get to…" She looked around, surprised to find herself in the center of a vast, ornately carved hall, surrounded by rowdy men and woman in fancy robes. "Gallifrey." She finished. "Huh." An older, entitled-sounding voice called from behind her causing her to jump and turn towards it's owner.

"What is the meaning of this? Who are you, and how in Creation did you get here?" Demanded the obviously powerful figure on the dais a few meters away, holding a large staff. Amy opened her mouth to reply but then didn't bother when she saw the smaller, tormented-looking figure cowering before him.

"Koschei!" Amy called out in astonishment hurrying over to him.

"What?" The powerful Timelord demanded again. Amy dropped to her knees beside Koschei. He looked a little different now. He was blonde, not albino, and instead of gold, his eyes were a deep, chocolate brown. He flinched away when she touched his shoulder, frowning at her in confusion, with a feral look in his dark eyes.

"What did you call me?" He asked roughly. Amy blinked, studying his face more closely.

"Oh, sorry, Master. It's been a while." She amended. He squinted at her, then convulsed flashing with the image of a glowing white skeleton before turning substantial once again. "Ooh, ouch." Amy observed, wincing sympathetically.

"I demand that you answer me!" The older Timelord roared furiously.

"No need to yell!" Amy snapped. "Which question then? I've forgotten." The Master smirked in amusement.

"You impudent…" The man on the dais spat.

"Sorry, got a lot going at the moment," Amy leaned towards the Master, whispering. "Who is he, then?"

"Lord President Rassilon." He answered.

"Oh, he's worse than you said." Amy replied. "Right, my mistake. I haven't been here before. You know how it is. No offense meant."

"Who are you and how—"

"In the name of Creation did I get here." Amy finished for him. "Right. _Now_ I remember. Two questions actually, but okay. My name's Amelia Pond and um… Well, it's a bit complicated, but I'm sort of channeling all of creation through my mind." All of the racket from the many arguing Timelords in the seats around them died down in reaction to that statement. Quite a few of them stopped to stare down at her. "Um…" Amy faltered, clearing her throat self-consciously. "You see, there were these cracks in time and space, and the light from them draws you in and erases you from existence. Only, it doesn't work on me, and so—" The Master clapped a hand over her mouth and shook his head at her in warning. Amy looked around at the other Timelords, noticing the eerily intent, almost predatory manner in which they where now eyeing her. Lord President Rassilon signaled two soldier types standing off to the side and they stepped forward and dragged the Master away from her.

"Let her speak." Rassilon ordered, leaning towards her to meet her gaze. There was a disturbing, insane glint in his cold, blue eyes. "Continue, my child." Amy stayed silent, looking warily over at the Master and the two guards holding his arms. "Speak, Amelia Pond, I would love to hear your story." Rassilon insisted. Amy opened her mouth as if to speak, then faltered, making eye-contact with the Master as she fumbled with her hands. She hoped the other Timelords would assume it was only an anxious gesture. "Well you see… It's a very long story." Amy said innocently. The Master narrowed his eyes, watching her hands. The tip of his screwdriver poked out of her sleeve. He straightened his posture in understanding. Amy continued. "I just have so much on my mind. Now this world's almost over and I can't stick around all day so…Duck!" She prompted, shooting the guards. The second that he was free the Master darted past her into the open corridor without even a glance over his shoulder.

"Shit! Wait up!" Amy called racing after him as he disappeared from sight. She ran flat out down the corridor for a while, then yelped in surprise when someone grabbed her and yanked her behind one of the massive, marble pillars to her left. The Master kept one hand pressed over her mouth and held a finger to his lips as the guards ran past. Amy nodded and he released her, listening closely for others nearby. Amy let out a relieved sigh when no one seemed to follow. The Master held up a hand and she stilled. After another brief pause he signaled the all clear.

"That was close." Amy noted.

"Why are you here? Tell me everything. Now." The Master demanded.

"I'm your friend. Family, really."

"You're human." The Master dismissed, with a sniff.

"I came to get you out of here." Amy continued, ignoring the snub. "If there was a way to escape the timelock, which route would you take?"

"I've never considered it." The Master replied flatly. Amy continued to look at him expectantly. He scowled at her before relenting.

"I don't know I'd take a TARDIS."

"Nope. Didn't have a TARDIS." Amy said. The Master pushed past her irritably and began walking away down the hall. She silently fell into step with him.

"How did you find me then, Miss Pond?"

"I didn't. Martha did." Amy admitted.

" ?" The Master purred with a smirk. "Bet she loved that."

"She handled it fairly well, considering…" Amy reflected. "The Doctor mentioned something about vortex radiation when we met you. Are there any access points to the vortex itself?" The Master stopped walking to look her over critically.

"That's insane."

"You'll make it. I saw it myself already. Ah!" Amy stumbled to the wall clutching her head as another rush of concentrated data flashed through her mind. "Daleks, Silurians, Emlin Volta,-ah, no!—Andromeda, Stonehenge…" She slid down the wall breathing fast.

"Miss Pond?" The Master asked, managing to sound mildly concerned.

"Can't keep this up much longer." Amy breathed. "Where's our loophole?"

"The Untempered Schism." The Master said, grabbing her arm and practically dragging her down the hall towards the Schism Chamber. When they were almost there she stumbled, nearly collapsing and the Master reluctantly caught her.

"You're bleeding." He observed as he hauled her into the chamber.

"Terrific." Amy muttered. "Dalek."

"What?" The Master queried then spotted the Dalek coming down the corridor in their direction and hastened to seal them in. He had almost managed it when the Dalek opened fire, missing him once before taking deadly aim at his face. Instead of it killing him Amy reached out a hand as if to catch the beam, and it vanished. The Dalek powered down and the Master finished sealing the door. He looked questioningly at Amy.

"I don't know how I keep doing that. I just didn't want it to kill you so…" Amy gestured helplessly. "That happened."

"Has it occurred to you that you could simply undo all the Daleks and remove the threat entirely?" The Master inquired.

"We are not having this conversation." Amy replied with finality, nodding to the skillfully crafted archway that held the Schism. "Let's get this over with."

The Untempered Schism looked a bit like a cross between a futuristic gateway and a great antique mirror, only instead of glass in the center it held a whirl of color and gaseous clouds, punctuated by lightning.

"You can't deactivate the containment field without destroying the planet." The Master informed her matter-of-factly. Amy raised her eyebrows at him. He shrugged. "To whom it may concern." The room was beginning to heat up and they could hear the chaos building outside their little sanctuary. They had mere minutes left. Amy swallowed, gathering her resolve.

"Listen and remember, because the fate of the universe may depend on it. The Doctor and I will find you, but I won't remember you, this won't have happened to me yet, but you have to stay with us because for this to work we have to all be together at the end."

"Or we're finished." The Master remarked.

"Or nothing ever was." Amy corrected grimly. They both jumped as the Daleks blew the door behind them open. They both stared for a second before Amy turned back to the Master sucking in a steadying breath. "Goodbye." She told him decisively, shoving him through into the Schism.

"Wh—No!" He exclaimed, grabbing for her arm as the shield vanished and he fell through, watching the world he'd exited be engulfed by a brightly colored inferno.

* * *

><p>Amy woke with a start, sitting bolt upright in her bed. She'd just had the most bizarre and amazing dream she'd ever experienced in her life. The alarm went off and she smacked the 'off' button without looking, smiling at the beautiful white gown hanging on the back of her door as she got up.<p>

"Today is my wedding day." Amy thought aloud, smiling to herself and shook off the last vestiges of her dream.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Okay, this turned out ultra-long, sorry. Thank you for reading this. Special thanks to GuesssWho and EluraSeregin for reviewing. I would love to hear what you think of this.


	59. Epilogue

**Chapter 9: Epilogue**

Amy struggled to ignore the odd feeling of wrongness in the back of her mind all through breakfast. She didn't need this. It was her wedding day. Everything should be perfect, and it was as far as she could tell. The nagging doubt still wouldn't leave her alone. Something was missing. It was important. Finally she gave up and called Rory, getting the inexplicable impression that he would surely know what she was talking about. He didn't.

"It's probably just nerves." Rory assured her. "This is a big day, after all. It's normal to be a bit… Speaking of, you do know it's bad luck to call me on our wedding day?"

"No, it's not. You can't see me, Stupid."

"You sound fine." Rory observed with slight amusement.

"I don't know…"

"Everything's fine, Amy. Between your Aunt Sharon and my mum, I don't think there could be a single piece of confetti out of place." Rory joked. Amy laughed. Those two seemed more fixated on planning the wedding than Amy had thought healthy, but it did supply the happy couple with hours of entertainment. "I had a strange dream about it myself." Rory admitted casually, as he put on his tie.

"The one where there's two of me and the universe is falling apart at the seams?" Amy inquired. There was an awkward pause as Rory stalled in mid-movement, thrown by the unexpected imagery.

"Um… No." He responded. "Mine involved angry badgers. Are you feeling alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Amy assured him. "You're right; it's just nerves."

* * *

><p>For the rest of the preparations and during the ceremony itself, Amy managed to keep the odd feeling of lack at the edge of her thoughts. But when they were all sitting down at their tables to eat and her Dad rose to give his toast, it came back with a vengeance. There was a little brown parcel sitting beside her place. She picked it up and looked it over.<p>

"That's odd. Must've been misplaced." Rory guessed glancing at it curiously as he took his seat beside her. Amy frowned at the simply wrapped parcel and pulled off the rough hem cord holding it closed. An oddly familiar, blue notebook fell out into her lap. Rory watched her flip through the blank pages fleetingly before nudging her arm. Her father was giving his toast.

"Somebody's missing." Amy muttered under her breath, scanning the crowd of guests that sat at the tables around them. "Someone important." Rory gave her hand a little squeeze under the table, looking concerned. She was positive now. Someone was missing and it was terribly wrong. She cast about in her mind, trying to remember who it could be. Sammy and Karris couldn't come because of the baby. That wasn't it. She and Rory had both agreed that under no circumstances would they invite Thomas. She was forgetting someone. She looked around, missing most of the toast as she tried to remember. She had to remember. Old Mr. Johnson's tweed suit sparked something. She looked over at her father and his red suspenders brought back even more. She was beginning to see a figure in her mind's eye. It was like watching a photograph develop. Almost there.

"Dr…" One of their neighbor's little boys fidgeted in his seat. His fiery red hair reminding her of someone she hadn't realized that she knew. His bowtie went crooked as he did. Dad had stopped talking a while ago and everyone was now staring at her.

"Amy?" Rory questioned.

"Are you alright, Love?" Aunt Sharon inquired, touching her arm.

"Doctor!" Amy blurted out victoriously in a somewhat Doctor-like manner.

"Sorry?" Rory asked.

"I can't believe I almost forgot the Doctor!" Amy exclaimed incredulously, rising from her seat.

"Oh no, not this again." Amy's mother muttered, embarrassed. "She hasn't done this since she was a child. Took her to all sorts of Doctor's. They said she'd grow out of it in…Oh." She covered her face as Amy rushed past her around the table.

"He is real. It's all real, and I remember it. I remember him." Amy announced with determination. "They're both real, Rory, and we have to remember. They're our friends, and they will **not** disappear."

"Amy, what? I don't…" Rory stuttered in confusion. Amy smiled and winked at him over her shoulder as an inexplicable wind kicked up inside the church. A moment later a familiar, grating-wheeze echoed through the room growing louder as the little blue police box materialized in front of her. As soon as it was fully solid, Amy darted forward and knocked on the doors. "The Doctor." Rory noted, standing up and coming around the table to join her. "I can't believe I forgot the Doctor!" Amy pounded more persistently on the TARDIS doors.

"Oi! Get out here!"

"Alright, alright. Keep your shirt on." The Doctor told her as he finally stepped out of the TARDIS, wearing an ill-advised tux and top hat combination. "Give a man time to change. She already said it, by the way." He informed Rory casually leaning back against one of the doors.

"You're late." Rory returned.

"Got here in time for the fun bit." The Doctor replied, smiling. "Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Pond."

"Actually, I…" Rory began to protest as the Doctor pulled him into a big bear hug. "Oh, who am I kidding? I am Mr. Pond, aren't I."

"Oh, yes." The Doctor agreed giving him a pat on the shoulder. Amy frowned at him uncertainly, then at the open door to the TARDIS.

"Where's Koschei?" She asked. The Doctor just shrugged. Amy narrowed her eyes and ducked into the TARDIS.

"Koschei?" She called tightly.

"No." Came the muffled reply. Amy let out a relieved sigh and looked askance at the Doctor. The guests had begun to view this as if it were some intriguing street performance and the Doctor turned and raised an eyebrow at a few that were now whispering to each other about the possible relevance of Koschei.

"He hates weddings." The Doctor explained. "In fact, he even set ours on fire." Amy's Aunt looked highly disapproving at this news, and Mrs. William's was now glaring at the doorway rather threateningly. "You know, perhaps we should just leave him be for now." The Doctor reflected. The two newly weds exchanged a look before they both stepped into the TARDIS, calling:

"Koschei!"

"I set fires." Koschei informed them silkily.

"We heard." Rory replied. "Come on. Just think of it as a big party." Koschei stared down at them distrustfully from his perch at the top of the stairs. From the sound of things outside, the Doctor had already become a hit with the wedding guests.

"I saved your life, twice." Amy pointed out. "And the universe."

"Technically that didn't happen now. Temporal physics being as it is…" Koschei pointed out. "And the Doctor did help." The Ponds continued to watch him expectantly. He let out a little growl and followed them out of the TARDIS. "I won't enjoy it." He added matter-of-factly.

"I know." Amy returned with a smile that indicated her disbelief of that claim.

* * *

><p>The Doctor stepped outside still laughing from his time spent teaching the children present how to 'dance like the pro', and came over to sit on the lawn beside Koschei.<p>

"Still corrupting youth I see." Koschei observed from where he lay neatly on the grass staring up at the stars. The Doctor flopped down beside him, placing his top hat over the other Timelord's folded hands.

"Still avoiding attachment like a plague." The Doctor returned easily.

"Yes, you do." Koschei remarked. "We'll be off soon, I assume." The Doctor nodded.

"It's not over yet." The Doctor explained. "We may have mended the damage, but someone sabotaged my TARDIS and whoever they are, they're still out there."

"It's never been one hundred percent safe."

"I know, but this is different. I don't want to risk anyone else."

"You'll risk me." Koschei commented lightly, sitting up. He frowned as he noticed the way the Doctor winced at that assumption. "You _are_ taking me with you." He added a tad forcefully.

"Can't leave you behind." The Doctor agreed uncomfortably.

"No, I don't suppose you can." Koschei retorted bitterly and stood up, storming off to go wait in the TARDIS.

"I didn't mean it like that." The Doctor called after him. Koschei ignored him ducking wordlessly into the TARDIS without a glance over his shoulder. The Doctor sighed, turning to look in the church window at the newly married couple. His eyes met Amy's and he smiled at her a little sadly. Amy frowned at the expression on his face, feeling suddenly uneasy.

"Oh no you don't." She muttered under her breath and hurried outside, running to the TARDIS as quickly as she could. She arrived just in time to see the last fleeting images of it fade away in the dying light.

"No wait! Come back!" She called out, pulling off her veil. Her expression hardened when she heard movement behind her.

"They come back." River said nonchalantly, walking up to her. "You'll wait a little while but they'll come back for you. I've seen it."

"I left your notebook with Rory." Amy informed her coolly, before taking a deep breath and turning to face the other woman. "Okay, how long then?"

"You know I can't give you specifics." River reminded her. "Just enjoy your honeymoon."

"Let's go get you that notebook." Amy suggested quickly, and they made their way out of the courtyard together to tie up the loose ends. A honeymoon would be nice. Maybe a short rest. Then she could go ahead and tear the Doctor a new one when he arrived for leaving them behind like that. Again. He'd better have a good explanation.

He probably would.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** And there we are folks. First volume finished. It might be a couple weeks before I begin posting the next one. I hope you enjoyed this. Volume two is indeed going to be a crossover between Doctor Who and Warehouse 13, as well as an AU for the 6th season of DW. Thank you all for reading this, and special thanks to EluraSeregin, Time Travelling Animagus, SophyWald and GuesssWho for their reviews, as well as all the other wonderful people who took the time to review this story in previous chapters. Anyway, that's all for now. I'd better get back to writing...


	60. NOTICE

**Just FYI. For those of you who're interested. The first two chapters of the sequel are now up in the crossover section. The sequel is called 'The Fall and Rise of Theta Sigma'. I'm going to probably keep this open so I can go over it and add a few finishing touches but other than that, this ones fairly completed. I think...**


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